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The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a humiliating 49-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks last Jan. 23 and Luke Walton is getting frustrated. It was the most lopsided loss for the franchise and a big blow to the rebuilding efforts for the purple and gold.

Walton singled out the lack of effort from his players, ironically happening on the same night where Kobe Bryant once scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. It was yet another sad note for the Lakers, who continue to spiral in the Western Conference standings. Only two Los Angeles Lakers were able to finish in double-digits, which somehow explained the blowout, ESPN reported.

After starting the season strong, the Los Angeles Lakers now tote a 16-34 win-loss record. A couple of wins could boost their ranking, but splicing through the magic eight for a playoff spot would need a winning streak to do so. With 32 games remaining, the Lakers eventual finish may improve from last year, but not enough to make the postseason. The loss will expectedly raise questions on Walton needing more help.

D'Angelo Russell providing some self criticism after Lakers' loss pic.twitter.com/wNq5WRU1e0

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 13, 2017

Magic Johnson was previously spotted with co-owner Jeanie Buss and then Kobe Bryant came out to the open offer a helping hand to his former teammate, The Score reported. The offer by Kobe Bryant was recently brought up to Walton who said it was good the “Black Mamba” was there for us but wasn’t ready for ‘tough love’ from the recently retired cager, NESN reported. Woeful as it may look, the Los Angeles Lakers have improved a bit from the time Byron Scott was calling the shots.

They are a win away from equaling their wins last season, proof that Walton has already progressed over his predecessor- and without a franchise player to boot. Looking ahead, Walton admits that the Los Angeles Lakers have a fine culture. With the team composed of young players, coming off age is what the team seemingly lacks. There is no indication of someone with that caliber coming over yet though anything can happen moving forward.