On December 21, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. For the Los Angeles Lakers, it's been really bad lately. On the one hand, multiple players triggered health and safety agreements and were unable to play. On the other hand is core player Davis, who needs a 4-6 week suspension due to a knee injury. What's worse is that the team is about to encounter the devil's schedule, and if it is in this state to fight, it must be more lost and less winless.
The last game lost to the Bulls, the Lakers have played well, and Ariza has also made his debut. But it is the lack of talent, and the chain is dropped at a critical moment. James, 37, alone can't win, and he has to fight all over the team. 8 out, or 7 straight losses! The Lakers suffered the Devil's schedule, and Zhan Huang was forced to play center to fall out of the top 8.
After the end of the road trip, the Lakers' home stadium is even more difficult. Tomorrow will be the first opponent: the Phoenix Suns, the number one in the West. In the last game against the Hornets, Devin Booker also returned after 20 days, and finally the nine-man scored in double figures to win easily. Facing the Lakers, the Suns are all out to play, and the big three of Paul + Booker + Ayton should be the combination of the best tacit understanding and the best chemical reaction in the entire league. How do the Lakers crack it?
According to the Lakers, as many as 8 players on the team will miss this game: Davis (left knee), Nunn (right knee), Bazemore, Reeves, Tucker, Howard, Munch, Bradley (health and safety agreement). In order to get the number of people out, James (groin strain) and Ariza (sore ankle) will play with injuries.
The Lakers, who have suffered 2 consecutive defeats (losing to the Timberwolves and Bulls), face the Suns with all the players in the game, and the probability is that they have lost 3 consecutively. The point is, in terms of the Lakers' devil schedule, or produce a wave of 7 consecutive losses. Let's take a look:
Home against the Suns, we've already said that. This was followed by the Spurs, who were in good shape recently, beating the Clippers and Jazz in succession, and the key was that they were all in full play. Then came the Christmas battle, the home game against the Nets, the two teams are similar, the only suspense is: Irving can play this game. After 3 home games, it is away to the Rockets and Grizzlies. The remaining 5 games, the Rockets are easier to play.
Even if many people are absent, why do the Lakers suffer 7 consecutive losses? There's one main reason: James was forced to play center, which would be a headwind.
In the game against the Bulls, James played nearly 40 minutes, had 31 points and 14 rebounds, but only 1 of 7 on three-pointers, and 3 of 13 in the last two three-point games, compared with the previous three-game winning streak, it has begun to show fatigue. Why? Because in many games without Davis in the 5th quarter (the last quarter with the Timberwolves, already injured), James is the Lakers center. Since Howard is still in isolation, Jordan Jr. is useless, and James is the most reliable inside line.
The 37-year-old man, who wants to organize, grab the board, but also to top the opponent's big center, is probably the first time in the history of the NBA! Once James is exhausted, the Lakers will be completely out of play. Just today, Lakers general manager Pelinka said: This summer's operation is to reduce the pressure on James! But is the pressure reduced?
Playing 10 more games, the Lakers will be more than halfway through this season, but what about the record? After working hard for so long, I still hovered in the 8th position. As of now, with a record of 16 wins and 15 losses, it ranks 7th in the West. However, the 8th-placed Lone Rangers in the West trailed just 0.5 wins, and the 9th Timberwolves trailed just 1 win difference. The next 5 games, once it is more than losing more wins and less, or even losing streaks, will fall out of the top 8. How exactly can the Lakers change the status quo?