After suffering back-to-back losses on the road, a home game could just be what the doctor ordered for the slumping Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James and the Lake Show will be kicking off a five-game homestand on Wednesday when they host the Miami Heat on the heels of losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves (108-106) and at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans (129-109) on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
James, however, doesn’t want his team to feel too comfortable over their looming stretch at home, knowing that the Lakers are not in great form of late.
“It could hurt us in the sense where you start to feel comfortable because you’re at home. So we have to understand that, yes, just because we’re home we really can’t relax now,” the four-time league Most Valuable Player said in the locker room following the loss to the Pelicans (h/t Dave McMenamin of ESPN).
The Lakers have been suffering from on-court malaise ever since their triumph against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA In-Season Tournament championship game. They have only won three times in 11 games following that victory over Tyrese Haliburton and company.
When it’s not their offense that’s not clicking, it’s their defense that’s been causing the team headaches. Los Angeles will be hoping that the team will get it together on both sides of the floor in the upcoming matchup versus the Heat, who are in much better form than the Lakers lately.
On the season, the Lakers are averaging 114.6 points per game and are allowing 114.1 points per outing.