The Los Angeles Lakers have lost three in a row, two of them coming with both Luka Doncic and LeBron James in the lineup. Despite having a clear injury list, the Lakers are on a downward spiral and might be in danger of losing home-court advantage in the first round. Luka knows who is to blame and who can take them out of the rough stretch. After the loss to the Orlando Magic, he pointed fingers at who could right this ship.
Luka Doncic Gets Real on Lakers Rough Stretch
Asked after the loss to the Orlando Magic who should take responsibility, the Lakers star player was quick to note. It is him and LeBron, and there is no running away from blame and responsibility. He said,
“I think me and Bron, think we should be the guys to do that. That’s on me. Obviously, I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to talk more. I talked in the first half, then just kind of [let my] voice down and I shouldn’t do that.”
Later in the post-game interview, Doncic talked about how the Lakers have let their foot off the gas, saying,
“I think we just got a little bit satisfied. We can’t afford that right now.”
The Schedule Doesn’t Get Easier
The Lakers were the second seed in the Western Conference before LeBron got injured and missed some time. They had to go through a rough stretch of six games in eight days, during which Doncic missed a few games as well. Now, even with a clean injury list, they are struggling.
Seven of their remaining games are on the road, and they have three back-to-back sets. Their next two games are in Indiana and Chicago, a back-to-back they have to win. Then, in April, they have two road games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, before closing the season with back-to-back games vs the Rockets at home and on the road in Portland.
They are two games ahead of the Warriors for the sixth seed, but also two and a half games behind the Rockets for the second seed. Any rough stretch can be a difference between starting the first round at home, or on the road. The good news for the Lakers is they can make their own destiny. They have four games against direct competitors. LA plays the Rockets in Los Angeles two times, hosts the Warriors once, and plays in Memphis once. Those four games will be critical for their final seeding.
Concerning Signs
The Lakers have lost two times to the Orlando Magic this year. Both times, it was Franz Wagner who torched them. Back in November, when they were a play-in team, some people in the media talked about how Los Angeles cannot compete with teams that have scoring wings. They went and got Dorian Finney-Smith to help with that regard, but the Lakers are still failing.
In the game against the Magic, both Wagner and Paolo Banchero scored 30+ points. It is hard to win a game when two opposing players score 30+ points. Against the Bulls, in their previous loss, Coby White scored 36 points on 12-17 shooting, including 6-9 from three-point range. Matas Buzelis had 31 points on 12-18 shooting, and Josh Giddey flirted with a quadruple-double.
In January and February, the Lakers had a stretch with one of the best defenses in the league. Now, however, they cannot stop anybody from scoring. In the last 10 games, the Lakers have the 23rd-ranked defense after having the best defense for two months. That is the area of concern they have to address if they want to compete for a championship.
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