LeBron James and the Lakers are in an uncomfortable position following the All-Star break: three games between themselves and the playoffs with 25 games to play. Not to mention, the Lakers have the fourth hardest schedule in the league.
According to James, he enjoys being counted out and being in positions like these. Thursday provides the first opportunity for Lakers fans to see James make good on that rhetoric, as the Lakers welcome the Houston Rockets for the final time this season.
As the Lakers look to turn their season around, they will do it in a similar setting that helped send their early season into a downturn. The fight between the Lakers and Rockets cost L.A. dearly. Now, they need to flip the script.
Defense would be the best place for the Lakers to start, but they’re still without Lonzo Ball. Since Ball’s ankle injury on Jan. 19, only the Phoenix Suns have had a worse defense than the Lakers’. With Ball still not practicing, the Lakers can’t wait for him to get healthy to bring a consistent defensive effort.
And even a consistent effort is no guarantee against defending MVP James Harden. Harden has scored 30 points in 31 consecutive games and has been one of the toughest players to guard in the league.
If the Lakers are to grind their way to the playoffs, games at home against teams like Houston are ones they absolutely have to win over the final 25 games.
