Mar 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers fans in the fourth quarter of the game against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Lakers 117-107. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
One the second night of a back-to-back, the Los Angeles Lakers simply didn’t have it and were blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder to end their road trip.
The Lakers were able to rest LeBron James and Anthony Davis the previous night against the Detroit Pistons, and the two stars did their best to lift the team past the Thunder.
However, it was all for naught as Oklahoma City was fresh and had no problem dispatching Los Angeles as the game wore on.
Injuries have sapped the depth on the roster and head coach Darvin Ham has been forced to figure things out on the fly.
Every night, it seems like someone is ruled out prior to tipoff, so it’s been challenging for the coaching staff to adjust.
Ham spoke about the difficulties of playing through injuries though still believes he and the team are following their plan, via Spectrum SportsNet.
Several players are either playing through injury or working themselves back, so Ham has to balance that on a nightly basis.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and Cam Reddish are among those that have already missed significant time, which makes it tough for the Lakers to build continuity and see what they have with this roster.
It’s frustrating to see the Lakers lose, but the overall goal remains to be as healthy as possible for the stretch run.
