Lakers Looking to Avoid Franchise-Record 7th Consecutive Home Loss Thursday

The Los Angeles Lakers have lost six consecutive home games and will be looking to avoid a dubious franchise record in Thursday's tilt at the Staples Center against the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder. Amazingly, no Lakers team has ever lost seven consecutive home games, dating all the way back to the franchise's Minneapolis origins in the 1940s.

Only one other Lakers team even lost six home games in a row, and that 1992-93 squad still managed to make the playoffs with a respectable 39-43 record. That the '92-93 team is considered one of the worst in franchise history shows just how dominant the Lakers have historically been. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1960-61, they've only missed out on the postseason five times.

Make that six, as the 2013-14 Lakers have been decimated by injuries to the point of hopelessness. The team's ugly 18-34 record is buoyed by a 13-13 start, obscuring the reality that the Lakers have been every bit as bad as the league's worst teams since mid-December.

Since picking up their 13th win on Dec. 20, the Lakers have gone 5-21 with a minus-7.9 point differential per game. Only the Milwaukee Bucks (4-22) have a worse record over the same period, while the Philadelphia 76ers (-11.0) and Bucks (-10.5) are the only teams with inferior point differentials.

The Lakers have a tall task in order to avoid making history, as Thursday's opponent has won 14 of its last 16 games. After that difficult Thursday matchup against the red-hot Thunder, Los Angeles will come out of the All-Star break to a home game against a Houston team that's won seven in a row. Given the matchups that are looming, the Lakers will likely see their home losing streak stretch to eight games before facing a manageable Boston Celtics squad Feb. 21.