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The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of their longest losing streak of their season after dropping their sixth in a row to the New York Knicks Sunday night, immediately hitting the road to pay a visit to the Sacramento Kings as they begin their seven-game road trip. Nick Young and D’Angelo Russell made their returns, but there was no triumph to be had.
The Lakers picked up a win when they met with the Kings last, with Julius Randle getting the last laugh over an angry DeMarcus Cousins. The purple and gold could use a little more of that after the .500 start has dissipated following a slew of injuries dislodged the surprising track they were on.
Russell and Young are both considered probable and will remain on a minutes restriction should they play. D’Angelo played sparingly in his first game back, getting burn in just two stretches. He started the game and opened halftime with the starting lineup, but head coach Luke Walton kept him on a tight minutes limit. That’s to be expected as Russell gets back into rhythm and tests out how his knee responds to the platelet rich plasma therapy.
Winning cures all, and it wasn’t long ago the Lakers were the NBA’s most fascinating experiment proving just that. Picking up a win, on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back won’t be an easy task for the weary Lakers, but it’s certainly not out of question.
Process over results is definitely still paramount, but a win might just help get that process back in line with where it was headed. Enjoy the game!
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet