Sometimes a team needs a good old-fashioned butt kicking to realize they need to shape up.
During the LA’s most recent road trip, they were obliterated by OKC, losing 121-92. The contest showed the difference between a contender and a pretender, and unfortunately for the Lakers, they looked like the latter.
The good news is there is plenty of time left in this season to learn from these kinds of losses and use them as fuel to be better. The Lakers did just that, winning their next two games and coming out of their road trip with a winning record.
“That OKC game woke us up,” Ayton said. “Especially with the energy from me, myself, coming in with different spirits and understanding ‘Forget the back to back. This is Lakers basketball. We trying to win a game and finish the road trip strong.’ We didn’t rely on what we did yesterday or what time we came in [last night], it didn’t matter.”
Having two double-digit victories after a tough loss is a great way to respond to falling short in OKC. That game was a disappointing one, but it doesn’t have to be devastating.
The Thunder are the best team in the league and have obliterated everyone. They only have one loss this season, so while getting beaten by them isn’t desired, they’ve proven to be a tough team to defeat.
For the Lakers right now, it’s all about self-improvement. They need to build chemistry together and give their all so they can find out just how good they can be.
So far, they have one of the better records in the Western Conference and with LeBron James returning soon, it won’t be long before they are at full health.
However, that won’t matter unless they are sharp and ready to play at a high level. If the loss against the Thunder was a wake-up call that ensures they never have a low-effort game like that the rest of the way, then it was a blessing in disguise and could be a turning point for them this year.
