The Los Angeles Lakers have gone through a bit of a rough stretch recently, losing eight of their last 11 games after Monday night’s loss to the Utah Jazz.
A lot of that can be attributed to injuries, as the team is currently without both its starting guards, D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young, and then they recently lost Jose Calderon in addition to two big men as Larry Nance Jr. missed Monday’s game with a knee injury and Tarik Black left the game with an ankle injury.
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The recent struggles could also have to do with scheduling, as the Lakers recently played four games in five days on the road after playing the Golden State Warriors twice in a row.
Despite all the adversity they have faced, the Lakers have still played hard and competed every night. 17-year veteran Metta World Peace recently stressed the importance of that to his team, as he told them that he does not want them to become entitled, via Mark Medina of the OC Register:
“I don’t want them to expect anything,” World Peace told Southern California News Group. “My whole message today was not to be entitled.”
Head coach Luke Walton appreciated what World Peace told the team, calling it a nice message. In addition to the injuries and scheduling, part of the reason World Peace talked to the team was because of complaints about officiating in recent games, something that World Peace said they have no control over.
The schedule does not get any easier for Los Angeles, as they have a seven-game road trip that includes two back-to-backs beginning Dec. 12 before returning home to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas Day.
They play the Houston Rockets on the road and then return home to face the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks before beginning the road trip.