EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Lakers are picking a rough time for a slump.
They have now lost 6 of their last 7 games and fell to the 6 seed in the Western Conference after a surprising 121-114 defeat against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at Staples Center.
As the regular season winds down, the Lakers have been damaged be three consecutive losses against teams under .500 — Washington, Sacramento and Toronto. In those games, the Lakers trailed Washington by 19 points, Sacramento by 15 and Toronto by 21.
Compounding the Lakers’ problems Sunday, LeBron James left the game midway through the fourth quarter because of a sore right ankle, the same one that sidelined him for six weeks after he severely sprained it.
“The last two games after halftime…it got a little sore on me, a little tight,” James said after finishing with 19 points and 6 assists in his second game back after missing 20 because of the ankle.
The Lakers (36-28) have a quick turnaround with a game Monday against Denver at Staples Center.
“The plan is to see how I feel and go from there,” James said.
The Lakers’ defense was nothing short of pliant against an undermanned Toronto team that went without three key players. On a night they needed to hammer away at Toronto, the Lakers surrendered 72 points in the first half, the second-most they’ve allowed in a half all season.
The Lakers need to “find out some way somehow to get it clicking again, get that spark,” forward Kyle Kuzma said.
He’s right.
The Lakers found out Sunday afternoon that they’d be without starting point guard Dennis Schröder because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols. He could potentially be sidelined a week or two, depending on numerous factors.
Kuzma scored 24 points and Andre Drummond added 19 but the problem for the Lakers wasn’t scoring.
Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry blitzed the Lakers over and over, each scoring season-highs in points. Siakam had 39 points and 13 rebounds while Lowry had 37 points and 11 assists.
Toronto didn’t fret despite playing without two starters (Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby) and key reserve Gary Trent Jr.
Anthony Davis scored only 12 points for the Lakers and couldn’t find his shot, making only 5 of 16 attempts.
“This is the lowest we’ve been in a while, at least the last two years,” Davis said. “The only way is up. We really can’t get any lower than this.”
The Lakers want nothing to do with the relatively new “play-in tournament” but might not have a choice if they don’t end their slide over the final eight regular-season games.
If the Lakers finish as the seven seed in the West, they play the eight seed in a one-game battle. The winner gets the seven seed in the playoffs. The loser has to play the winner of a game between the 9 and 10 seeds in the West to determine which team earns the West’s 8 seed.