In a chat with the media this week, Lakers guard Max Christie opened up on the morale of the team following their loss to the Magic on Thursday. Christie revealed that the Lakers were crushed after the loss but they have a chance to make amends tonight at home against the Denver Nuggets.
“It’s a tough loss,” said Christie via Dave McMenamin. “We were bummed out but we’re onto the next game. We got Denver tonight, who is still a good team. We don’t want to dwell on Orlando. So we turned the page and we’re ready to go tonight.”
Experts were uncertain about the Lakers coming into this season, but they’ve surpassed all expectations in the first 15 games. At 10-5, they look to be a serious threat to the West but their last game against the Magic was far from their best showing.
The Lakers had won six straight games going into the matchup, but they failed to keep the streak going. Instead, they let the Magic steal the win (119-118) thanks to a game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds by Franz Wagner, who finished with 37 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds on 50% shooting.
Missed free throws (17-26 from the line), second-chance points (15 offensive rebounds for the Magic), and streaky shooting from the role players were all to blame for the loss, which sent the Lakers down to 4th in the West standings. By all accounts, it was a very winnable game for the Lakers that they let slip due to crucial mistakes down the stretch.
While it only counted as one loss for the Lakers, it could end up making a big difference in the West this year. Currently, there are 11 teams that are .500 or better which means that the margin for error is extremely slim.
And for a Lakers team trying to find success in LeBron James‘ final years, they don’t have the time to waste on another meaningless season. They need to figure things out as soon as possible and pursue whatever path puts them in play for a championship run.
With this current roster, the Lakers certainly have a solid chance to make some noise, but it’s no secret that they are looking for some upgrades in the frontcourt. From Jonas Valanciunas and Walker Kessler to Robert Williams III, there are plenty of centers who could elevate the Lakersup to another level this season but it remains to be seen if they have the assets to secure a high-impact player.
Whatever happens, nothing will rob the Lakers of their confidence, and they plan to put up a bitter fight until the very end. With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and star rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, they have more than a puncher’s chance to make some kind of playoff run.
Tonight, at Crypto.com arena, the Lakers will get another chance to prove themselves with a matchup against their former playoff rivals, the Denver Nuggets. They play tonight at 10:30 PM EST before a matchup against the Suns on Tuesday, November 26th, at Footprint Center at 10:00 PM EST. Finally, the Lakers will complete their back-to-back this week in Frost Bank Center for a matchup against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs at 8:30 PM EST.
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