The Los Angeles Lakers went into last weekend on a four-game losing streak and injury questions. Coming out, it seems things are fine. Lake Show Life breaks down important events that might have been a blessing in disguise.
What a difference a week makes for the Los Angeles Lakers. It was just Christmas Day when they collapsed under a 17-5 run to lose their showdown with their Staples Center rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers.
This was a low point for a team whose goal was not to lose two games in a row. Then there was the re-aggravation of LeBron James‘ groin injury that made things worse. After what happened exactly 365 days ago against the Golden State Warriors, it was safe to speculate there was worry in La La Land.
Then there was the controversial Instagram post by Kyle Kuzma‘s trainer calling out LeBron for his work ethic and being afraid of Kawhi Leonard. A four-game losing streak, LeBron’s injury along with a possible combustible situation in the locker room? Uh oh. Are we going down the same road as last year?
Not a chance. This is far from the team from last year. It only took one weekend to show the NBA world that this team will not cave as they did beginning around this time last year.
The Lakers went into last weekend in trouble and in a bad mood in a matchup against Portland with the goal of snapping their four-game losing streak.
How have players handled the Lakers’ four-game losing streak?
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 28, 2019
“I think they’re a little bit edgy,” Coach Frank Vogel said. “Appropriately edgy, I would say.”
In one of the more interesting games of the year (Also read confusing!), the Lakers wound up beating the Trail Blazers 127-118. In a game that was remembered more for the infamous “Phantom” call than the game itself, the Lakers snapped their four-game losing streak and a couple of dynamics started to change on the roster.
One of those dynamics was on the defensive end as the Los Angeles Lakers avenged an earlier home loss to the Dallas Mavericks winning 108-95 while locking up MVP contender, Luka Doncic.
For the second straight night, this game never really in doubt as the team ground the number one rated offense to a halt on the strength of 19 turnovers. While some saw the adversity going into the past weekend as impending doom, this stretch could be the best thing that happened to the Lakers.
After blowing out one of the top 4 seeds in the Western Conference, the swagger seemed to be back in Lakers Nation.
This weekend means more than a two-game winning streak and a 26-7 record. With a four-game home stretch that includes games against Phoenix, New Orleans, Detroit and New York, a long winning streak is in the cards.
Lake Show Life discusses some observations that will help the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.