Lakers have team meeting; Nick Young says they're on the 'same page'

Lakers have team meeting; Nick Young says they’re on the ‘same page’

The Lakers' Nick Young throws a punch at Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic.

By Mike Bresnahan

Jan. 17, 2014 9:41 AM PT

BOSTON -- The Lakers talked as a team before their Friday morning shoot-around, trying to bury the hatchet after Nick Young’s “one on five” accusation stemming from his ejection Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.

Young was suspended by the NBA for Friday’s game against Boston because he punched Suns guard Goran Dragic in the face during a game Wednesday. He said after the game that his teammates didn’t back him up and it was “one on five” out there.

“We just talked about everything. We’re all on the same page now,” Young said Friday. “Once we talked, we aired everything out. We’re all good.”

What were the topics?

“You don’t have to fight, you just have to step in between,” Young said, adding with a smile that “nobody wants to get beat up on national TV. ... We all know we’ve go to get a little more gritty out there, get a little tougher.”

Point guard Kendall Marshall was on the court at the time of Wednesday’s altercation, which happened after Young was fouled hard by Suns center Alex Len.

Marshall said Friday he apologized to Young.

“I take full blame. I should have ran over there and pulled him out of there,” Marshall said. “I think it’s good for him to get upset at us about that.”

A photo has circulated on the Internet of Marshall standing alone near the top of the three-point line, hands on hips, as the fracas took place under the basket. Someone added the caption, “Don’t worry Nick ... Kendall got your back.”

Said Marshall: “I thought it was hilarious. You look at it and it does look pretty bad.”

Lakers Coach Mike D’Antoni seemed satisfied with the team’s talk Friday morning.

“They’re fine,” he said.

At the same time, though, D’Antoni indicated he wanted the Lakers to be more aggressive, saying there needed to be more “fight in the dog.”

“You can show solidarity without going across the line and that’s what you have to do,” he said.

The Lakers (14-25) have lost 12 of their last 13 games and figure to be lacking on offense without Young on Friday. He is averaging 16.4 points a game.

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