Winners of the In-Season Tournament, the Lakers are however having difficulty getting back into the swing of things in the regular season. After suffering new disillusionment this Monday against the Knicks (109-114), LeBron James notably pointed out a major weakness in his team.

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Since their victory in the In-Season Tournament a few days ago, the Lakers have had a harder time getting the machine back on track when it comes to regular season games. The first part of December was nevertheless crowned with success. On the other hand, the last four outings of the Californians have not really pleased them, since three of them ended in defeats.

The most recent took place against the Knicks this Monday. The Purple & Gold had the opportunity to celebrate the reveal of the banner after their triumph in the last competition but unfortunately for them, the New Yorkers came to spoil the party by winning (114-109). Coming out of this rout, LeBron James spoke about the schedule facing his team in December:

An away schedule too busy for the Lakers according to LeBron?

 

 

LeBron on away games in December: “It’s killing us”

 

According to the four-time MVP, the Lakers’ numerous away trips constitute a significant disadvantage compared to their competitors. In fact, not counting the In-Season Tournament and although the confrontation against the Knicks took place at home last night, three of the last five games of the 2020 champions took place on enemy territory, with only one victory to be expected.

In addition, the LA team will still have to travel the United States for five of the next seven matches until December 31. The future opponents also being the Timberwolves, the Thunder, the Celtics or even the Pelicans, suffice to say that the schedule looks particularly complicated, which explains LeBron’s complaint. Except that they are not the only ones in this situation…

 

It will only get worse with the next trips outside. We can’t use that as an excuse. It’s like that. We’re moving backwards from the In-Season Tournament, we’re going to play elite teams this week.

It is clear that the month of December for the Lakers has been anything but easy so far . The next matches don’t look like fun either. In addition, LeBron James was keen to highlight the high number of trips, which would also be one of the reasons for their poor form. But that’s the lot of NBA franchises…