As one of the NBA‘s best-known and most-decorated franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers are perpetually in the sports news cycle; the team, more or less, has taken up permanent residency there after pulling off a shocking trade for the Dallas Mavericks‘ All-NBA guard Luka Doncic last month. The chemistry between Doncic and incumbent megastar LeBron James has been a source of limitless fascination since they first shared the floor together, as their partnership has brought legitimate championship aspirations to LA.
James recently missed time with a groin injury; after six games, he returned, only to participate in a losing effort. With the playoff chase entering its final turn, the 40-year-old is keen to convey strength amid his two decades of NBA experience as he tries to secure his fifth championship ring this summer.
Lakers have to get better on the road
The Lakers‘ most recent game, a 146-115 blowout home loss to the Chicago Bulls, hurt Los Angeles in the standings; James and company sit two games behind the Houston Rockets for the #2 seed in the Western Conference with a dozen games still to play. The pressure is on James, Doncic, and rookie head coach JJ Redick to turn the ship around following the defeat to Chicago.
“We have 12 games to position ourselves in the postseason,” James said following the Lakers’ home loss to the Bulls. “We pretty much can control our own destiny if we win ball games and not have to be in the Play-In Tournament. So that’s what JJ has been preaching, obviously. I think he told that to you guys. He wanted to be in the playoffs and not the Play-In. So that’s up to us.”
The Bulls shot 46 percent from 3-point range on Saturday and sent the Lakers off on their road trip with a sour taste in their mouths. Los Angeles has a pedestrian 15-18 record on its travels this season — and with eight of the Lakers’ final 12 games on the road, that mark has a chance to improve…or get worse, starting with the purple and gold‘s visit to Orlando on Monday night to take on Paolo Banchero and the Magic.
“Every game is huge for sure. And we gotta regroup,” James added. “Obviously, on our last road trip, we didn’t play well at all. We went 0-4, so it’s definitely in the back of our minds. We know on Monday, we gotta play better basketball than we did (Saturday) and what we did on our last road trip.”
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