The Los Angeles Lakers had a home game on Monday night, which has felt like a rarity for the team through the month of December.
With a road-heavy December schedule and a trip to Las Vegas for the In-Season Tournament, it has been a taxing month for the Lakers. After going 1-2 on their Texas road trip, L.A. struggled to find consistency on both ends against the New York Knicks on Monday, ultimately losing 114-109.
Anthony Davis returned against the Knicks after missing Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, allowing for the big man to get some rest. But it is clear the constant travel is taking a toll on Davis and the rest of the team.
“Yeah, it’s tough. For the whole month of December, we’ve really been on the road,” Davis said. “And we’re gonna be on the road for probably the rest of December, I think we got two more home games, maybe three. But there’s nothing we can really do about it, it’s the schedule. We just got to take care of our bodies and get some guys back hopefully within the next couple games.
“But yeah, it’s definitely a mental challenge going on the road as much as we are right now, trying to fight against away crowds and the travel, hotel to hotel. You start getting delusional a little bit forgetting what room you’re in and things like that. But it’s the nature of the business, you got to fight through it and still try to find ways to get wins.”
Injuries have been nagging the purple and gold all year long, the hope is that guys start to return sooner rather than later to turn things around.
“I think we just need to get healthy and get guys back,” Davis said. “Some guys are still battling some injuries and obviously trying to fight through it, which we respect. But just trying to get all our guys 100% healthy to move forward. We’ve seen what we can do when we’re 100% healthy, we just got to get there. Just keep fighting, honestly. There’s nothing more we can say or do. Just take on the challenge, every team is battling something. We still need to find ways to win.”
The Lakers are now 5-5 in their last 10 games and are 1-3 since winning the In-Season Tournament, but Davis does not believe the tournament has contributed to the team’s struggles.
“Nah. We’re not losing by 20. We’re in every game, we’re fighting, competing, playing hard. So I don’t think it’s a whatever they call it, a championship high once you start the season after winning it all. I don’t think it’s a championship hangover, I don’t think it’s one of those. We went in and had a battle against Dallas, had a win against San Antonio and then we let one slip away against them. Then a fight tonight. I don’t think it’s one of those things where we’re hungover from the In-Season Tournament.”
Things don’t get easier for the Lakers moving forward as they head back out on the road to take on the Chicago Bulls, who beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. They then play two of the better teams in the Western Conference in the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Darvin Ham won’t use In-Season Tournament as excuse for recent struggles
With the accomplishment of winning the In-Season Tournament in the rear-view mirror, the Lakers have struggled to find a groove. However, similar to Davis, head coach Darvin Ham is not going to use the tournament as an excuse for the team’s recent struggles.
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