One would think that playing the worst team in the Western Conference would help the Los Angeles Lakers rectify their cold streak over the last several weeks.
Not quite.
L.A. scored enough points to stay neck and neck with the Houston Rockets in a seesaw game, but its defense was almost non-existent.
The Lakers had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but they missed all three of their shots in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Heading into overtime, it still seemed like L.A. had a real chance, but then Houston exploded from 3-point range, scoring 10 unanswered points to decide matters.
Overall, the Lakers’ Achilles heel was their lack of interior defense, as they allowed the Rockets, a team that ranks 27th in offensive rating, to score 62 points in the paint.
It seems like this Lakers team keeps hitting a new low at least once a month. With one of the NBA’s toughest schedules to close the regular season, it could get much worse.