The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference and had a championship visit with President Obama on Monday. But is there some cause for concern in La-La Land?
L.A. is amidst its annual Grammy’s road trip — opening their eight-game stint away from home with a loss to the Cavaliers last week. Cleveland owns the tie-breaker against the reigning champs for sweeping the season series. Home court advantage is always important, especially to a Lakers team that is only 10-8 on the road.
Health issues are another concern. Center Andrew Bynum may play better with Pau Gasol out of the lineup, but the team sure doesn’t. L.A. is 11-6 without Gasol and 22-5 with the Spaniard playing. Gasol has been sidelined twice for extended periods of time with a hamstring injury.
But Kobe Bryant‘s health is the biggest question mark. He’s been wearing a splint on his right index finger and it seems to be affecting his shooting. Bryant has shot 39.1 percent from the field this month — shooting over 50 percent in only one of the 13 games. In comparison, the Black Mamba shot 50.6 percent from the field in November.
Bryant is helping the team in other areas — posting a 27-point, 16-rebound and nine-assist performance in a losing effort in Toronto on Sunday. But the Lakers need him to be a more efficient scorer.
Luckily for the Lakers, the scheduling gods have set up the perfect matchup to get back on track: at Wizards, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
