Lakers Fall to Cavaliers: The 10 Worst Losses of L.A's Season
The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2010-11 NBA season with tons of hype after winning their second consecutive NBA Championship, but the team has suffered a slew of unexpected losses.
After the Lakers overcame a 13-point deficit in Game 7 to beat the Celtics, they started the new season on an eight-game winning streak. They lost their next two games in high-scoring affairs to the Nuggets and Suns, but then rattled off five more wins.
Since that point, Los Angeles has a record of 25-17. Playing barely over .500 basketball is not what the Lakers are expected to do. It would be forgivable if they were losing to quality opponents or in close contests.
That's not always the case.
The Lakers have suffered some losses that have set them back and spurred on trade talks. With 25 games left in the regular season, the Lakers need to rediscover the consistent play that led them to two straight titles.
For now, here's the 10 worst losses of the season for Los Angeles.
10. Lakers 85, Memphis 104
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Memphis is currently tied with Utah for eighth in the West and has won eight of its last 10 games.
There's no shame in losing a hard fought game to the Grizzlies. Exactly two months after beating Memphis by 19 points in the Staples Center, the Lakers hosted the Grizzlies again.
This time, the Grizzlies left with a 19-point victory of their own, holding the Lakers to 85 points. The Lakers' scoring output was 39 points less than the last game in Los Angeles.
It tied the Lakers' biggest loss of the season up to that point.
9. Lakers 96, Celtics 109
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The Celtics outscored the Lakers by 17 in the second half, holding the Lakers to only 42 points in the stanza.
The meeting was the first between the teams since the 2010 NBA Finals, but this time it was the Celtics that came out on top. Kobe scored 41 points, but the rest of the Lakers starters combined to go 10-35 from the field.
Kobe tried to take over in the fourth quarter with isolation, but that stalled the Laker offense. Pierce ripped the Laker defense for 32 points and Rondo registered 16 assists on the night.
8. Lakers 80, Heat 96
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Against another East power, the Lakers faltered yet again.
On Christmas Day, the Miami heat traveled to Los Angeles and bullied the Lakers. The game wasn't in question for the better part of the second half.
LeBron recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.
A game that was hyped to be a possible NBA Finals preview turned into be a dud for the Lakers.
7. Lakers 92, Pacers 95
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Kobe went for 41 in another loss earlier in the season to the Indiana Pacers, who currently sit six games below the .500 mark.
The Lakers were unable to contain Roy Hibbert without Bynum. The 7'2" center scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as he was to strong for any Laker big man inside.
With Bynum as injury prone as he is, the Lakers are always in trouble when they go against the biggest and strongest players the NBA has to offer.
6. Lakers 99, Rockets 109
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Without Yao Ming or Aaron Brooks, the Rockets were still able to defeat the Lakers in early December.
The 10-point loss was the fourth in a row for the Lakers, the first skid of that length since the 2006-07 season for LA. Shane Battier hit a pair of clutch threes and got fouled on another, making all three free throws to bury the Lakers late in the contest.
It was the fifth consecutive time the Lakers were held below 100 points after starting the season with 13 of 14 games in which they scored 100.
This was the first time in the season that Laker fans sensed that the 2010-11 season could be a little different.
5. Lakers 92, Clippers 99
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The Lakers and their fans hate losing to their in-city rivals. For as long as anyone can remember, the Lakers have owned the Clippers.
In mid-January, Eric Gordon outscored Kobe in the Staples Center, going for 30 points in the upset. Blake Griffin also scored 18 points of his own and nabbed 15 rebounds.
Kobe scored 27 points, but was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc in the loss.
The Lakers are 8-16 this year when they score below 100 points. They are 30-3 when they top the 100-point mark.
4. Lakers 89, Bobcats 109
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Four Bobcats scored in double-digits in a convincing win over the Lakers on Feb. 14. The Lakers looked if their minds were elsewhere as the Bobcats beat them down in every way.
The Lakers were outscored in every quarter, especially the third, where they were beat by 12. The Lakers went 3-for-19 from three-point range, allowing the Bobcats to run the floor and show off their athleticism.
The 20-point loss was the most lopsided defeat of the season for the Lakers.
3. Lakers 79, Bucks 98
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The first time these two teams met, the Lakers scored 118 points in an 11-point victory. Brandon Jennings, Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette combined for 68 points in the loss.
None of these three suited up for this matchup, but the Bucks somehow came away with a 19-point decisive upset. Andrew Bogut went 7-of-9 from the field and the Lakers committed 16 turnovers while only dishing out 17 assists.
This was the Lakers second-lowest scoring output of the season, as they scored 39 points less than they did in the first meeting between these two.
2. Lakers 95, Kings 100
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The Sacramento Kings have a 13-40 record on the season, third worst in the league. However, one of their wins came against the Lakers in late January.
The Lakers beat the Kings by 33 in early December, but DeMarcus Cousins pushed the Kings to victory on Jan. 28. Cousins had 27 points and 10 rebounds to help the Kings to a rare victory.
This would have been the Lakers' worst loss of the season if I had wrote this yesterday, but the Lakers one-upped themselves last night.
1. Lakers 99, Cavaliers 104
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The Cleveland Cavaliers had nine wins coming into this game. The Lakers earned their ninth win on Nov. 16.
The Cavaliers have 46 losses in the 2010-11 season. The Lakers have lost 51 games since the start of the 2009-10 regular season—and that includes the postseason.
On Dec. 11, the Lakers beat the Cavaliers by 55 points. With the win, the Cavs became only the fourth team in the last 40 years to lose by 55 points or more and beat the same team in the next meeting.
After losing a NBA-record 26 straight games this season, no one expected the Cavs to defeat the defending champs.
After this loss, trade rumors regarding the Lakers shot through the roof.
What do you think of this list? Should the Lakers start to panic and make a deadline deal?
