The Los Angeles Lakers have an ugly tendency to let games slip away from them far earlier than they should. It's admittedly the type of flaw that teams can encounter from time to time, but Los Angeles has turned losing into an art form.
The Lakers are in a good position at 24-15, but 14 of their 15 losses up to this point in the season have been by double digits—a sign of illegitimacy as a contender.
Los Angeles is currently one of just five teams in the Western Conference that has lost at least 14 games by 10 or more points. For that matter, they're the only Western unit that's on pace to make the playoffs—top six only—that has lost at least 10 outings by a minimum of 10 points.
The 17-23 Memphis Grizzlies, seeded at No. 10 in the West, are the only other team in the conference that have lost at least 10 games by 10-plus points but are still in line to at least make the Play-In Tournament.
Even the Grizzlies have lost fewer games than the Lakers by at least 10 points, however, which hammers home a troubling point. Los Angeles doesn't just fall short of victory. It loses in a way that has led many to question the consistency of their effort, let alone their defense.
It doesn't help that the only other Western Conference teams to lose at least 14 games by 10-plus points are the 17-23 LA Clippers, 14-27 Utah Jazz, 11-30 Sacramento Kings, and 10-33 New Orleans Pelicans.
14 of Lakers' 15 losses have been by 10-plus points
The hits keep on coming when evaluating how the Lakers measure up to the other postseason-caliber teams in the Western Conference. At 11-14, Los Angeles is the only team ranked between No. 1 and No. 8 in the standings that has a losing record in 10-point games.
The only two top-eight Western Conference teams that even begin to toe the .500 line in 10-point games are the Phoenix Suns at 14-8 and the Golden State Warriors at 14-9.
In terms of the four teams ahead of the Lakers in the standings, the gap is massive. The No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder are 26-3 in 10-point games, while the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs are 16-6, the No. 3 Denver Nuggets are 15-5, and the No. 4 Minnesota Timberwolves are 15-7.
To make matters worse, the Lakers have the worst record of any top-six Western Conference team against opponents that are .500 or better at 7-9.
It's encouraging that the Lakers are 5-0 in games decided by three points or less, as well as 13-1 in games with a margin of fewer than 10. That certainly paints the picture of a team that can compete with anyone and even win close playoff games and series.
Considering how difficult the Lakers have found it to defeat winning teams and avoid blowout losses, however, it's hard to call them contenders at this stage of the season.