No doubt about it, the Lakers losing back-to-back games in Texas was not a fun time for the team.
The first road trip of 2025 for the Lakers didn’t go as planned. They dropped both games in Texas, losing to a formidable Houston Rockets squad and then laying an egg against the Dallas Mavericks.
No losses are fun, but coming out empty-handed in both games certainly stings. Prior to these defeats, the Lakers had won two straight and seven of their last nine games. Now, they come back home dropping two games against conference opponents.
After the team’s most recent loss versus the Mavs, LeBron James didn’t mince words on how disappointing this two-game road trip was for the team.
“It sucks, obviously,” James said. “Especially knowing where we were and how we were playing. We had a chance in Houston. We started off in the first half horrible but we made it a one-possession game. We played pretty good all the way until about the last three minutes of this second quarter. Then we’re playing catch-up.
“We got another game in less than 48 hours so we can’t really dwell on it too much. That’s the name of the game in the NBA. You see what you could have done better but you have to get ready for the next opponent and we got another game coming Thursday in our home building.”
These poor performances from the Lakers are frustrating, especially considering this month’s slate of games is generally soft.
There is no excuse good enough to justify the Lakers losing to a Mavs team that didn’t have Kyrie Irving or Luka Doncic and was playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
And while Houston is a great team, that first half as Lebron mentioned was horrendous and that type of level of play is beating no one.
The Lakers are nearly halfway through the season, and so far, they’ve shown equal signs of greatness and mediocrity.
So, while the team has made upgrades like trading for Dorian Finney-Smith and is clearly “not satisfied” staying as is, the most significant improvement needs to come from within.
The core of this team will likely remain intact and they have to figure out how to stack wins against quality teams at home and on the road.
So far, at 20-16, things are better this season than last, but it’s not enough to make them legitimate contenders for a championship.
Let’s see if a five-game homestand, during which four of the teams the Lakers will face have a record below .500, can help them gain some confidence and get back on track.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
