Despite entering the season with their usual championship aspirations, the Los Angeles Lakers enter the Holiday season with a middling record for a fourth consecutive season. On the plus side, one of the Lakers’ Christmas wishes may arrive in time for Santa Day.
Los Angeles will spend Christmas Day in San Francisco as the Lakers face the Golden State Warriors (15-12) at the Chase Center at 8 p.m. (ET). The Lakers enter the contest with a 16-13 record after falling to the Detroit Pistons 117-114 last night as LeBron James missed a game-tying three at the buzzer.
Los Angeles Lakers Four Christmas Wishes
It is the fourth straight season that the Lakers have 16 or fewer victories on Christmas Day, one of the NBA’s most important days. 2019-20 was the last time LA had at least 20 wins (24-6) heading into Christmas.
Los Angeles is playing its 51st Christmas Day game, including every year since 1999. The Lakers are just 24-26 on December 25, losing three straight and seven of its last 10. They are playing just their 23 Christmas Day game away from home, posting a 10-12 record.
Warriors-Lakers Christmas Day Game
Los Angeles and Golden State face each other on Christmas Day for the third time, with the previous time occurring in 2018. The Lakers own a 2-0 record against the Warriors on December 25 and lead the all-time series 262-171. However, the Warriors took three of the four matchups last season and are 108-95 in games in the Bay Area.
Perhaps this could be the final Christmas Day matchup between two of the all-time greats to add more intrigue to what has become a fierce rivalry. James and Stephen Curry are meeting for the fourth time, though this is the fifth time their teams have faced each other, as Curry missed the last matchup in 2017. James is 2-2 in these games.
“Anytime you get to go out on the court and compete against one of the greatest ever to play this game, you don’t take it for granted, James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I don’t know how many more opportunities we’ll get to go against each other, so it’s always fun.”
D’Angelo Russell Injury
Los Angeles is 5-5 in its last 10 games and sits in seventh place in the Western Conference. The Lakers are one-half game behind the sixth-place Los Angeles Clippers and one-half game ahead of the Warriors, who are just 3-7 in their last 10.
On the plus side, LA appears to be getting healthier and could have a near-full squad for the first time all season. D’Angelo Russell left last night’s loss with a hand injury. Russell, who was playing his best basketball of the season this month, struggled against the Pistons, finishing with five points on 1 of 5 shooting and five assists in 16 minutes.
Until there is an update, Russell will be considered day-to-day. If Russell can’t play tomorrow, Dalton Knecht and possibly Max Christie, who has started the past six contests, will likely see an uptick in minutes.
Christmas Wish No. 1: Get Healthy
Los Angeles has been shorthanded all season, which has been the root of some of the Lakers’ problems. The Lakers entered the season knowing they would be shorthanded up front, with Christian Wood and Jared Vanderbilt sidelined since the start of training camp. Christian Koloko was alson’t cleared until the beginning of November, while Jaxson Hayes has missed 18 of the last 19 contests.
As a result of the frontcourt injuries, the Lakers have had to play small ball when Anthony Davis sits. It won’t surprise anyone that the Lakers are a much better team when Davis is on the court than when he is not. But how by how much this year?
Los Angeles is outscored by 0.8 points a game in the 35.5 minutes Davis is on the floor. However, that number increases to -1.9 points in the 13.5 minutes the 31-year-old rests. Also, unsurprisingly, the Lakers are not a good rebounding team this year—ranking in the bottom third of the league across the board in that area—and they have been worse since Hayes went down with his ankle injury.
Overall, Los Angeles is being outrebounded by three boards a game. But they are 2.8% points worse on the glass when Davis is off the court and 5.0% worse at protecting the rim. Moreover, the Lakers are 3.0 points worse offensively and 2.3 points worse defensively when the big fella is off the floor (per 100 possessions).
Vanderbilt won’t play tomorrow against the Warriors, though he is slated to return early next month. Meanwhile, ESPN projects that Wood, Hayes, and Hood-Schifino could all be available as they have set their estimated return date on Christmas.
Christmas Wish No. 2: LeBron James Remains Healthy And Engaged
James has missed just two games this season, sitting out two games during a lull in the schedule (December 8 and 13) to rehab his left foot. The nearly 40-year-old, who will reach the birthday milestone at the end of the month, has played well this month.
James recorded his eighth triple-double of the season against the Pistons. He is averaging a season-high 25.3 points this month and has tallied at least 27 points in five of his eight appearances this year. But according to McMenamin, it is his engagement that is most important for the Lakers going forward.
In the crowded Western Conference, the Lakers’ playoff projection has varied vastly week to week. They ran out to a 10-4 record and were in third place on Nov. 20. Losses in seven of their next nine games dropped them to No. 10 on Dec. 6, with LeBron James appearing ineffective at best and destructive at worst. James took advantage of the schedule to take eight days off to rehabilitate his left foot and only missed two games. With James back in the lineup, the Lakers won three straight, climbing back to No. 5 in the West on Dec. 21. James was brilliant in Saturday’s win over Sacramento, commanding the defense while punishing the Kings inside, scoring 32 points on 13-for-24 shooting. L.A. should not need nor expect that version of James on a nightly basis to qualify for the playoffs — not if they want James to have something left in the tank for the postseason. But getting that level of engagement out of him, combined with Anthony Davis returning to the MVP form he showed to start the season, will keep L.A. on track for a playoff berth.
James has thrived on Christmas Day, though he has had plenty of chances. James, who has a 10-8 record on Christmas Day, holds the NBA record for points (478) and appearances. He turned in one of the best Christmas Day performances, per Sports Illustrated Liam McKeone, in 2010 when King James was with Miami.
James finished with a triple double in Miami’s 16-point victory. He scored 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting (hitting five of his six three-point attempts), pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists while recording only one turnover.
Christmas Wish No. 3: Davis To Remain Healthy and Return To MVP Form
Piggy-backing off McMenamin’s comments, Davis needs a big game not only for the Lakers to win tomorrow’s game but also to be considered a serious contender.
Coming off his best season since 2019-20, Davis has continued to remain healthy as he has missed just one game. Davis is clearly the Lakers’ best player and has upped his production and efficiency this season. But the 6-10 big, who has compiled 21 double-doubles, hasn’t been as consistent or aggressive since averaging 30 points through the first five games.
Davis has topped the 30-point mark 13 times this season, including three times in the past six appearances. However, Davis has totaled 50 points over the last three and has failed to reach 20 points five times this month.
Christmas Day No. 4: Improved Offense Efficiency
Despite having Davis, James, Rui Hachimura, and Russell on the roster, all known far more for than offense than anything else, the Lakers offense has scuffled over the last four months. Despite having a winning record, the Lakers have a negative scoring margin of -2.9.
A big reason for the point differential is that the Lakers have struggled to score. After averaging 117.1 points (sixth most) through the first 12 games, their efficiency has plummeted over the past four weeks.
Since November 22, the Lakers have produced only 104.6 points a game (tied for the second-fewest) and own the 29th offensive rating. Overall, the Lakers are 20th in points per game and 27th in offensive ranking.
“Over the last 13 (games), we’re taking five more non-paint twos – we’re shooting 39% on those,” JJ Redick told Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group about the Lakers offensive woes. “… Those five extra non-paint twos, if we shot them at the same rate as Phoenix – who shoots 49% on non-paint twos – our offense would go from 29th to 27th. … If we took those five middies and shot league average on threes, our offense would go from 27th to 12th. In some ways, we need to shoot more threes, and we need to make more threes. That doesn’t mean we come down and just, no pass, one dribble shot. We’ve got to generate the right ones, and we’ve got to do it with the right process.”
