The Los Angeles Lakers had a tough road trip. We take an in-depth look and find seven takeaways from the six-game trip.
The Los Angeles Lakers just wrapped up a six-game road trip, their longest of the season, and things didn’t go well. Los Angeles wen 2-4 on the trip, dropping them below the .500 mark for the first time since they were 5-6 on Nov. 7.
Things got off to a good start as the Lakers’ road trip began against their Staples Center co-tenants, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Lakers won that game in overtime as LeBron James returned from his 17 game absence.
The return was short-lived, as James sat out the following game against the Golden State Warriors for rest. The Lakers were blown out in that game, which they followed up with an even more embarrassing performance against the Indiana Pacers. They lost by 42 points in Indiana, the largest deficit for a James team in his career.
Los Angeles got off to an ugly start against the Boston Celtics in their next game but stormed back in the second half. They overcome an 18 point deficit to win the game 129-128. The good vibes built up in that game quickly disappeared as the Lakers were blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers before losing the finale in the road trip to the lowly Atlanta Hawks.
This was not an ideal road trip for the Lakers. With their record not at 28-29, Los Angeles is 2.5 games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference behind the Sacramento Kings and Clippers, who are tied.
With the All-Star break now upon us, the Lakers will have to regroup and get things on track if they hope to make the playoffs. Before we start looking to what lies ahead for the Lakers, let’s take an in-depth look at the recent road trip with seven takeaways from the games.