January ’24 Lakers Log: Lakers fall below .500 for 1st time since November

Lakers fall below .500 for 1st time since November, Week 11, 2023-24 NBA Season, 1/3-1/7/24

MIA 110 – LAL 96, L 17-18, 1/3/24: The Lakers kicked off their five-game home stand with another disappointing loss, the Lakers fell below .500 for the first time since November 10th, when they were 4 and 5. The Lakers played a sloppy game, giving up 22 turnovers. They just looked like they were outplayed by Miami, who were without Jimmy Butler. The Lakers also shot 4 for 30 from three-point land. The starting lineup changed again as well. AD had another great performance wasted, scoring 29 and grabbing 17 boards. Reaves was inserted into the starting lineup and scored 24. LA will look to get back to .500 against Memphis on Friday.

MEM 127 – LAL 113, L 17-19, 1/5/24: The Lakers struggling performance continued with another subpar performance, this time against the Memphis Grizzlies. LeBron and AD played outstanding per usual but the supporting cast didn’t step up yet again. LeBron scored 32 points and AD put up 31. Reaves had a solid game once again with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 12 assists. The three combined for 82 of the team’s 113 points. LA allowed four players in Memphis to score 20 or more points. The Lakers have fallen two games below .500 and will face another tough challenge against the red-hot LA Clippers on Sunday.

LAC 103 – LAL 106, W 18-19, 1/7/24: The Lakers wrapped up the week with a huge win over the Clippers. Leading by as much as 10 in the 4th, the Clippers stormed back and this game was neck and neck down the stretch. Prince hit a huge three to put LA up 3 with a minute remaining. Then, LeBron scored a huge layup to put LA up 5. The Lakers ended up winning by just 3. With 4 seconds left, Norman Powell fired a fade away three which went in and out, which would’ve seen the game to overtime. LeBron finished with 25 points, 8 boards, and 7 dimes. AD had 22 points and 10 boards. D’lo came back and made some key shots in the 4th, and scored 13 off the bench. Hopefully, LA can carry this momentum into next week.

Lakers lose LeBron and Reddish to injury, fall 2 games below .500, Week 12, 2023-24 NBA Season, 1/9-1/13/24

TOR 131 – LAL 132, W 19-19, 1/9/24: The Lakers got back to .500 with a nail-biting win over the Raptors. AD led the way early with a big first quarter. LA was in good shape in the 2nd, going up by 8 after a logo three from LeBron. However, LA finished the quarter poorly, falling behind by 1 at the half. The 4th quarter was back and forth as each team traded buckets. AD made a layup to put LA back up 1 with a minute remaining. Then, the Raptors played the foul game, and LA escaped with a 1 point victory. AD had a monster performance, putting up 41 points and 11 boards. LeBron scored 22 with 12 assists. Christian Wood continued his solid play off the bench with 14 in 24 minutes. LA will take on Phoenix with a chance to get back over .500 on Thursday.

PHX 127 – LAL 109, L 19-20, 1/11/24: The Lakers winning streak was short-lived, getting smacked in the face by the Phoenix Suns. The Sun big three of Durant, Booker, and Beal, combined for 81 points, as LA trailed by as much as 32. LeBron and Reddish also left the game early due to injuries. AD scored just 13 and LeBron scored only 10. D’lo managed to score 19. LA now has to take on the Jazz on the road to get back to .500 on Saturday.

LAL 125 – UTA 137, L 19-21, 1/13/24: The Lakers dropped another game, however, LA was without LeBron. Reddish also left due to a knee injury. D’lo had his best game of the season, scoring a season-high, 39 points. Austin Reaves had a solid game, scoring 19 points. AD wasn’t as effective in the scoring column, but put up a triple-double, scoring 15, with 15 boards, and 11 assists. Rui came back from his calf injury and scored 17 off the bench. Wood also returned after dealing with migraines and scored 15 in 22 minutes. And after getting back to .500, LA has fallen back to 2 games below .500 with back-to-back losses.

AD has dominant stretch and D’lo catches fire as LA wins 3 of 4, Week 13, 2023 NBA Season, 1/15-1/21/24

OKC 105 – LAL 112, W 20-21, 1/15/24: LeBron and AD combined for 52 points as LA got the win on MLK day. Although there were 17 lead changes, LA pulled away in the 3rd, leading by as much as 13. In the 3rd, AD dunked on Chet Holmgren, rocking the arena. AD sealed the game in the 4th with another emphatic dunk to put LA up 8 with 50 seconds remaining. AD finished the night with 27 points and 15 rebounds. LeBron scored 25, along with 6 boards, and 7 dimes. The Lakers as a team combined for 30 assists and 6 players scored in double figures for LA. The Lakers will take on the Mavs on Wednesday.

DAL 110 – LAL 127, W 21-21, 1/17/24: LeBron, AD, and D’lo led the Lakers to a blowout win over the Mavs, as LA closed in on a .500 record. D’lo led LA in scoring with 29, and AD finished just 1 assist short of another triple-double. Davis had 28 points, 12 boards, and 9 assists. LeBron scored 25, with 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. LA was in great shape the whole night and won by 17. LA will take on Brooklyn on Friday.

BKN 130 – LAL 112, L 21-22, 1/19/24: After a solid first half in which LA led by 12, the Lakers fell apart in the second half, getting blown out by 18. The Nets bench, led by Cam Thomas and Lonnie Walker IV, scored 59 points. Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 33. LeBron, AD, and D’lo scored 20 or more, but LA has fallen below .500 again.

POR 110 – LAL 134, W 22-22, 1/21/24: After the underwhelming loss to the Nets, the Lakers showed up against the Trail Blazers, blowing out Portland by 24. D’lo led the way for the Lakers, finishing the night with a game-high, 34 points. LeBron scored 28. AD had a low-scoring game but still finished with a double-double, logging 14 points and 14 rebounds. Cam Reddish returned after missing the past 4 games and scored 10 off the bench. LA will shift its focus to the Clippers on Tuesday.

Lakers get back over .500 as trade deadline approaches, Week 14, 2023 NBA Season, 1/23-1/27/24

LAL 116 – LAC 127, L 22-23, 1/23/24: The Lakers were without LeBron for this one, and were just never in it. The Clippers jumped out to nearly lead and never looked back, defeating an AD led the Lakers squad by 11. AD finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. D’lo has continued his hot stretch recently, leading LA in the scoring column with 27. The Lakers will look to get back to .500 against the Bulls on Thursday.

CHI 132 – LAL 141, W 23-23, 1/25/24: After falling below .500 with a loss against the Clippers, the Lakers responded, getting back in the win column with a win over the Bulls. D’lo has continued to shine for LA, dropping 29. AD had 22 points and 11 boards, and Austin Reaves also scored 20. LeBron came back and dropped 25, along with 12 assists. Vando gave LA a nice spark off the bench, scoring 17 in 27 minutes. LA will begin a six-game road trip against the Warriors on Saturday.

LAL 145 – GS 144, W 2OT 24-23, 1/27/24: The Lakers capped off the week with a huge victory in double overtime over the Warriors. The teams went back and forth in the 1st half. However, Golden State started the 3rd on a 25 to 5 run. With LA down 15, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run to cut the lead to 1. But AD went down with what looked like a serious injury in the 3rd. Thankfully, Davis returned in the 4th, as LA opened the quarter down 8. Vando was everywhere was LA got back into the game in the 4th. The Lakers went on a 10-0 run to take a 1-point lead after trailing 105-114. Golden State couldn’t miss in the 3rd, but the Lakers defense held them to just 1 for 12 shooting from three in the 4th. AD missed a crucial free throw, which allowed Curry to tie the game on a layup, sending the game to overtime. In OT, Klay Thompson sent the game to double overtime with a clutch three, tying the game at 130. With Golden State down 2 with a little over a minute remaining, Steph Curry gave the Warriors the lead with a huge three. Then, right after a huge missed three, D’lo took it up and hit a pull-up three to put LA back up by 1. With 11 seconds left, Steph Curry hit a dagger, putting Golden State back up by 1. With 4.7 remaining, LeBron was fouled going for a layup. LeBron made both free throws, putting LA back up by 1. Curry heaved one from past half court and the Lakers won the thriller by 1 in double overtime! LeBron finished the night with a triple-double, with 36 points, 12 assists, and a career-high 20 rebounds, becoming the 1st Laker with at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game since Kareem in 1976. AD finished the night with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Besides, for the rough start, D’lo scored 28. With the win, LA is back over .500 for the first time since December. LA will take on the Rockets on Monday.

Lakers lose Vando to injury, somehow go 2 and 2 in up and down week, Week 15, 2023 NBA Season, 1/29-2/3/24

LAL 119 – HOU 135, L 24-24, 1/29/24: The Lakers followed their exciting win over the Warriors with an underwhelming performance against the 21 and 24 Houston Rockets. LA was just never in this one, letting emotions get to them early. Vando got ejected early in the 2nd for flicking Dillon Brooks in the head. LA lost this one by 16. LeBron, AD, and D’lo all scored 23. LA will have to forget this one, as they will take on the Hawks the following night.

LAL 122 – ATL 138, L 24-25, 1/30/24: For only the third time this season, the Lakers were without AD. The Lakers looked lackadaisical all night and fumbled another winnable game. The Lakers lost by 16 and have now lost two games in a row. Reaves scored 28 and LeBron scored 20. Now they will have a super tough task on their hands, as they take on the best team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics.

LAL 114 – BOS 105, W 25-25, 2/1/24: The Lakers pretty much gave up before the game even started, ruling out LeBron and AD five hours before tipoff. However, the shorthanded Lakers, led by Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, jumped to an early lead and never relinquished. Boston, who had the number one record in the league and is currently 22 and 2 at home this season, just never chipped away at the Lakers lead and fell to a shorthanded Lakers squad. Austin Reaves finished with 32, and D’lo scored 16 along with 14 assists. Jaxson Hayes, who has had limited minutes all year, had himself a double-double, scoring 16 and grabbing 10 boards. Six Lakers scored in double figures, as LA evened their record back at .500.

LAL 113 – NYK 105, W 26-25, 2/3/24: The Lakers got back over .500 with a big win over the shorthanded Knicks. LeBron and AD came back and had solid games. There was also a change to the starting lineup, as Rui started over Taurean Prince. The Lakers played suffocating defense, holding the Knicks scoreless for almost 7 minutes in the 4th. Five Lakers scored in double figures. LeBron led the way with 24. AD scored just 12 but had 18 rebounds. Reaves scored 22 and D’lo and Prince both scored 16. The Lakers are 3 and 2 so far on the 6-game road trip and will take on the Hornets on Monday.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports/REUTERS