After seemingly starting to turn things back around with three straight wins at home, the Los Angeles Lakers have been brought back down to earth once again. The Lakers have lost three games in a row and all in convincing fashion.
On Saturday, following the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, head coach Luke Walton expressed frustration over his team’s effort. Walton admits the team didn’t live up to his expectations, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Luke Walton after loss to Clippers: "Overall I’ve come to expect more from our guys. I thought the way we started the game was just sloppy.”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 14, 2017
It has been an up and down season to say the least for the Lakers. Drastic highs and lows as Walton tries to right the ship in Los Angeles following two of the worst seasons in franchise history.
Although not an easy task, Walton’s frustration stems from the fact that this team has shown great potential throughout the 2016-17 campaign. When locked in and focused, this Lakers squad can compete with any team in the league. Consistently has been a major issue all season long with Walton having no idea what team will show up on a nightly basis.
Some nights the Lakers can beat the best of the best in the NBA handing losses to teams like the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. Other nights, the team will fall to the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets who have a better chance of competing for high draft picks rather than wins at this point.
After the team’s 29th loss of the season, the young Lakers squad will have an opportunity to bounce back on Sunday playing the second game of a back-to-back against the visiting Detroit Pistons at the Staples Center.
The Lakers will have a three-game homestand before embarking on another lengthy road trip. Los Angeles must attempt to get back on track before playing 10 of 12 games away from the Staples Center following their matchups with the Pistons, Denver Nuggets (Jan. 17), and Indiana Pacers (Jan. 20).
