Los Angeles Lakers may get some much needed help vs Miami Heat
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers have lost four games in a row heading into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Orlando Magic. While the Magic are an easier opponent on paper, this Lakers team has looked absolutely lost without Anthony Davis.
Making matters worse is the fact that Tuesday’s game is the first leg of a road back-to-back. Road back-to-backs are certainly not fun, especially when you are all the way across the country from your home and family. Thankfully, the Lakers do not have to travel too far as they are just an hour plane ride away from the Miami Heat.
This two-game stretch in two days could do one of two things for the Lakers. It could really prompt the wheels to fall off without Anthony Davis or it could give the team some much-needed momentum if they can win both games.
Luckily for the Lakers, they could be getting some much-needed help against the Miami Heat, who might be without their two best players on Wednesday.
On Heat duty today.
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) December 27, 2022
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both are questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Lakers.
Kyle Lowry was excused from practice for personal reasons but is expected to play tomorrow. Dewayne Dedmon and Omer Yurtseven did not practice.
Miami Heat injuries could kickstart a hot streak for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Of course, the Los Angeles Lakers have to take care of business first against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. By the time you are reading this, LA may have already dropped an ugly game against Orlando and now are in survival mode against Miami.
If the Lakers can get back in the win column, however, they could turn this losing streak into a winning streak. The upcoming slate of games is far from easy but it definitely is doable for the team to string three or four wins in a row to offset the losing streak.
After the Heat the Lakers take on a struggling Atlanta Hawks team that is yet to find its identity. Then the purple and gold return to California to play a good (but beatable) Sacramento Kings team.
Los Angeles desperately needs to turn in some wins during this stretch and take advantage of the matchups and potential injuries. After the Kings, Los Angeles plays the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers. If the team does not string together some wins now we could see a long losing streak that essentially ends the season before February.
But hey, with how this season has gone the team will probably narrowly edge out a victory on Tuesday only so LeBron James can sit out the back-to-back on Wednesday; making the Heat’s injuries irrelevant.