The Los Angeles Lakers entered the season with championship expectations following this past Western Conference Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets. Injuries and with players being in and out of the lineup has created a struggle of consistency for the Lakers. The expectations grew higher following the first inaugural In-Season Tournament. However, despite the success the Lakers have had winning the tournament, the Lakers have fallen down to a .500 record. The Lakers understand the stretch of games ahead following the new year are important to get some momentum heading into the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers: Important Stretch of Games Ahead
Coach Ham on Lakers Struggles
There seems to be signs of motivation and optimism for the Lakers and head coach Darvin Ham. The Lakers will be at home more in January, playing 11 of their 15 games at Crypto.com arena. Getting back on track through the advantageous home court can be a key factor in gaining momentum for when they hit the road. After the loss to the Pelicans, Ham spoke to SpectrumSportsNet “We’re 17-17, about to head home. I just told the team that we got to band together, stay together, stay competitive. Got a chance to go back to our own house, sleep in our own beds, work out in our own building, and try to defend our home floor to over the next 30 days, turn this thing around.”
Darvin Ham's message to the #Lakers amid recent struggles:https://t.co/wMLFzaC6fw pic.twitter.com/Cpdw8Giay9
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) January 2, 2024
Optimism Moving Forward
There are several things the Lakers need to do in order to turn this around. Of course, getting the roster fully healthy and equipped with all the weapons they have out on the floor. However, that will take some time and as of right now, it’s the discrepancy between their home and road records. The Lakers are 11-4 at home and 6-13 on the road. This stretch of home games should serve as a hard reset for a Lakers team that has been struggling to get good outings. Especially, as a chance to rest from the fatigue built up being on the road.
The importance of the Lakers’ stretch of games ahead is prominently known by the players, the coaching staff, and its fanbase. Despite the struggles on the road, Anthony Davis has been playing on an elite level. Davis is averaging 25 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 55.1% field goal percentage. His defensive impact has been a huge success for the Lakers this year and has proven his worth. Davis is one of the front runners for Defensive Player of the Year. His impact on the team continues and will be a huge piece to the success for the Lakers moving forward.
Anthony Davis on Lakers Games Ahead
Davis spoke on the important stretch of games in an interview with SpectrumSportsNet, “We’ve been a pretty good home team thus far and now we got to take advantage of it. The road has been very brutal for us, now we get to sleep in our own beds, don’t have to worry about the travel, use our own resources, get some practice time in, and let guys get healthy. So it’s gonna be big for us to make this homestead a good one and we got to take advantage of it, for sure.”
Anthony Davis speaks on the Lakers’ defensive struggles on the arc and the importance of getting wins at home next month. pic.twitter.com/Lqvpyusf37
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 1, 2024
Last Word
Health has been an issue for the Lakers this season, but it cannot be used as an excuse for a team with championship aspirations sitting at 17-17. Davis and Ham spoke on the importance of the homestead stretch of games and using the momentum to gain confidence going on the road. The Lakers understand the importance of these games ahead and how it can translate over to wins for the regular season. Hopefully they can turn things around in January or they will be in serious jeopardy of missing the postseason.
