NBA Power Rankings week 14: OKC Thunder among the ‘road warriors’
36-10. Previous: 2nd. Los Angeles Lakers. 2. team. 20.
Los Angeles Lakers:
Offense: (112.6) 4th
Defense: (105.5) tied 4th
Net: (plus +7.1) 2nd
Results Week 14: (2-2): Won vs. 100-92, Nets: 128-113, Lost vs. Celtics: 107-139, 76ers: 91-108
Games Week 15: (3 games) Tues vs. Clippers | Fri vs. Blazers | Sat at Kings
An embarrassing loss to the Celtics following a loss to the Magic pinpoint this Lakers team is still a work in progress. Tough nosed defenses and clubs with athleticism earmark the commonalities of games the Lakers have lost.
And while the Orlando loss could be written off as just one of those losses of the five you expect each season (games you should win) the 32 point differential of the Boston loss is a beast of an entirely different nature.
The Lakers who boast a huge lineup and in particular their starting five theoretically should be able to take down the Celtics who are lacking in depth upfront to put it politely. But, the Lakers looked shellshocked facing the league’s third-ranked defense. The same situation arose in Philly raising the question of whether the Lakers can deal with size and physicality or if this is just a matter of the dog days of winter wearing on the club.
With the two losses, LA reached 10 losses leaving the Bucks as the lone team not to have double-digit losses this season. The Lakers remain in the number two slot more by virtue of their record than their recent performance. Another off week by them and another strong week by others in the top five will result in them moving down the ladder.
One clear factor will be whether they can defeat the Clippers this week in the clubs third meeting of the season.