Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers are set to begin a brutal stretch of games away from the Staples Center against good teams and they lost one of their two home games over the next 10 on Sunday, they still have quite the goal for their games ahead: not to lose two games in a row.
Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis vocalized that goal to the media on Sunday afternoon following the Sunday’s second-half collapse against the Mavericks, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“You don’t know until you [strive for it],” James said of the goal to avoid a two-game losing streak all season, which he says the team has eyed since opening night.
“Realistic is the mindset. It’s not about [accepting that] sometimes you lose games in a row. Just having that mindset and that approach.”
After the loss, the Lakers are now tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the NBA’s best record at 17-3 through the first 20 games. But the Lakers will need that special mindset to get through what will be the toughest stretch of their season so far.
As mentioned above, Sunday’s game was one of two games in a stretch of 10 where the Lakers play eight games on the road. That includes what should be a competitive road trip this weekend against teams in the Northwest Division, starting with a Western Conference showdown against the No. 2 Denver Nuggets team who are 13-4 and also have one of the league’s best defenses on Tuesday night in the Mile High City.