The Los Angeles Lakers got off to a great start this season. However, recent injuries have derailed their momentum.
After a big offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, expectations were high. The signing of LeBron James resulted in many believing that the Lakers would once again be contenders in a tough Western Conference.
To start the season, it took the Lakers a little time to get used to playing with James. However, they were able to gel rather quickly and began winning games. This season, the Western Conference is loaded once again.
While the two-time defending champions are still near the top, the balance of the Conference is very strong once again. A few losses at this point in the season can make you go from the top of the Conference to the bottom.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they are starting to free-fall in the standings. On Christmas Day, the Lakers might have beaten the Warriors, but two key injuries in that game have really derailed all of their momentum.
The losses of James and Rajon Rondo since that win have crippled the Lakers, as they have won just one game since Christmas. In addition to those two being out since the end of last year, Kyle Kuzma has found himself landing on the sidelines with a back contusion.
After an awful loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon, the Lakers now find themselves in the eighth seed in the Western Conference. That is not where the Lakers want to be in the standings, as there are six teams behind them within three games of reaching them.
As the Lakers continue to play without three of their key players, the losses are likely going to continue to pile up. On Monday, they will be facing one of the teams behind in the standings, in the Dallas Mavericks.
After the showing against the Timberwolves, it is hard to expect that the Lakers can beat anyone at this point. As losers of three-straight games, the Lakers need to get healthy and they need to get healthy quick. If they don’t making the playoffs will quickly become a challenging task.
Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News