Where are the Los Angeles Lakers this week in ESPN’s NBA Power Rankings?
The Los Angeles Lakers look like they are getting back on track. Los Angeles was struggling heading into the All-Star break. They were looking to incorporate new pieces into the lineup after the NBA Trade Deadline, and things weren’t working out.
The All-Star break gave the Lakers a chance to work out some of those kinks, and get healthy, and it is paying dividends.
The Lakers have looked like a different team out of the All-Star break. After going 0-3 on the road trip heading into the All-Star break, with the defense imploding, the Lakers have looked good coming out of the break.
Granted, the competition has been lowered, but any wins are good wins for the Lakers. They avenged one of those losses from before the break against the Dallas Mavericks. On February 10th the Mavericks defeated the Lakers 130-123. In the rematch in the first game out of the All-Star break, the Lakers returned the favor and blew the Mavericks out 124-102.
In that game, Lonzo Ball returned from a 15-game absence because of a knee strain. He played well on a minutes restriction, scoring nine points with seven rebounds and six assists in 17 minutes. There is a good chance had he played his normal allotment of minutes, he would have triple-doubled.
That would have given the Lakers two players with triple-doubles. Julius Randle had a triple-double in the game, scoring 18 points with 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Lakers swept their back-to-back, as they defeated the Sacramento Kings the night after defeating the Mavericks. Ball did not play in that game, as he is not playing in back-to-backs right away coming off his injury.
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The Lakers are off to a 2-0 record out of the All-Star break, which is nice to see. Despite going 2-0, the Lakers did not move in ESPN’s NBA Power Rankings. The Lakers were ranked 21st last week, and remain in the 21st spot this week.
Here is what they had to say about the Lakers positioning in this week’s power rankings.
"After dropping a home game to the Hornets on Jan. 5, the Lakers owned the second-worst record in the league. Since then, the Lakers have gone 14-7, tied for the sixth-best record in that span. — Michael Schwartz"
January 5th is also the last time that the Lakers lost a game at the STAPLES Center. The Lakers are riding a nine-game home winning streak, which is a big reason for their turnaround in the last seven-plus weeks.
With so many teams looking to tank to improve their draft position, it is refreshing to see the Lakers actually trying to win games. They have no incentive to lose games, as their first-round pick will be relayed to the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers.
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The more games the Lakers win this season the better. Their younger players not only gain experience and confidence, but the Lakers become a more attractive landing spot for free agents. No one wants to join a team that cannot win. If the young Lakers can win some games to finish up the season, veterans will want to join them to get them to the next level.