Lakers Lose 118-106 to Orlando... How Worried Should Fans Be After Two Decisive Losses?

Over an 82 game regular season, it's important not to become a prisoner of the moment, whether the short-term trends are positive or negative. This is particularly true for teams where the stakes,—and the expectations—are high. So big picture, the Lakers are still in a good position, even after dropping Monday's game in Orlando, 118-106. Small picture? There are definitely some red flags. The defensive numbers aren't great over the last two games, but perhaps more worrisome is the disappearance of any real offensive flow. Monday's game was a series of one-on-one possessions, starting with Luka Dončić, and then with LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Sometimes one of those guys made a shot, quite often one of them was fouled. (Luka and LeBron combined for 18 trips to the line.) But overall, it wasn't efficient, and more importantly, it took all the pop out of LA's offense. There was very little ball movement (19 assists ain't a good number) and even less player movement. The Magic are a very good defensive team, but broadly it seems that the league has started to adjust to the Lakers with Luka, particularly when LeBron is available. Orlando played the Lakers pretty straight, picking the lesser of two evils—basically, it's better to let those guys go iso and live with the results than it is to open the floor to guys who see it at the level of LA's star trio. This strategy has the added benefit of making Jaxson Hayes less effective, cutting out a couple free buckets a game for the purple and gold. So is it now a situation where the Lakers have to adjust to the adjustment? If so, a trio of Luka, LeBron and JJ Redick seems like a solid braintrust responsible for figuring it out. But they need to figure it out, and relatively quickly. The supporting cast, which was (save Dorian Finney-Smith) non-existent Monday night (LA's bench was outscored by Orlando's Anthony Black 17-14) depends on the high shot quality the Lakers can create with great ball and player movement. A good offense keeps the defense in rhythm, keeps players energized and gives the Lakers more margin for error. It's not going to get easier, but there's still enough time to get it straightened out. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Another clunker for the Lakers. SEGMENT 2: What happened to the offense? SEGMENT 3: The bench needs to be better. Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! In One-stop for ultimate team and league coverage delivered right to your in box. Sign up for free now, at lockedondaily.com . Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Right now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER : 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.