Trouble is brewing for the Los Angeles Lakers, who, after a tough 118-111 loss against the number one-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, find themselves on a four-game losing streak after winning the NBA Inaugural In-Season Tournament.
Despite a strong string of performances from superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the purple and gold have failed to recapture the magic that saw them take home the first In-Season Tournament championship.
The Lakers have come up short in the past four games against the Timberwolves, Bulls, Knicks, and even the 4-23 San Antonio Spurs, who ended their massive 14-game losing streak against the 17-time NBA Champions.
To make matters worse, the Lakers were without LeBron James, who was out due to left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, an injury James sustained in a previous matchup.
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Lakers forward Anthony Davis has been vocal about the team's current losing streak, calling for more urgency and saying that Saturday's matchup against Shai Gilgeous Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"It's the NBA season. There's going to be ups, there's going to be downs. Right now we're in that down period," Davis per ESPN. "We just have to continue to fight and continue to play hard. Play with some effort and energy, and we're treating Saturday as a must-win."
Coming into the 2023 NBA Season, there were championship expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers, following their run to the 2023 Western Conference finals, where they met their demise against the inevitable NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.
A Lakers team that was one of the busiest teams of the NBA offseason resigned pivotal role players in Austin Reeves, and D'Angelo Russell along with signing others in Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish all who have played crucial minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers so far this season.
Now the team is currently with a .500 record at 15-15, sitting at the tenth seed in the Western Conference standings, dangling on to their play-in life above a Golden State Warriors team that is starting to find its footing and fresh off a win against the Boston Celtics.
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