The Los Angeles Lakers Are Undefeated Since Loss to the Miami Heat
The Los Angeles Lakers are on a five-game winning streak after defeating the Sacramento Saturday night. Their last defeat was against the Miami Heat on Dec. 28.
After this loss, LeBron James said he wanted to see improvement from his teammates. James has been performing at a superstar level this season with little help from his surrounding cast, especially in the absence of center Anthony Davis.
“I don’t want to finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect,” James said. “I want to still be able to compete for championships, because I know what I can still bring to any ballclub with the right pieces.”
Since their loss to the Heat, the Lakers have gotten a spark they needed to start winning. Major contributions over this span has given James the help he needs.
Center Thomas Bryant averaged 21.2 points and 13.6 rebounds through the last five games. Point guard Dennis Schroder averaged 21.4 points, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals. Russell Westbrook, coming off the bench, has averaged 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists over this span.
The Lakers even defeated Miami in their rematch Jan. 4 without James in the lineup. Schroder had a season-high 32 points with four rebounds and four steals.
Bryant talked about the team playing as a collective after the win against the Kings Saturday night.
“It says a lot about the confidence,” Bryant said. “Strong resiliency that we try and bring each and every night out. I know each and every last one of those guys are proud of each other out there.”
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
