The Los Angeles Lakers initially had a strong start with Luka Doncic being traded into the team, going 9-2 in its first 11 games and coming up with impressive strides as the tandem of Doncic and LeBron James seemed to be the perfect combination that the Lakers needed to turn things around. However, it seems that the problems are finally starting to show up.

In a shocking deal at the trade deadline, Doncic was picked up by the Lakers after the latter team opted to give up Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, shocking the entire NBA world. After a slow start with his new team, Doncic did adjust well and soon averaged impressive numbers of 27.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game.

LA’s recent struggles, however, hasn’t been really looking good for their case in the 2025 NBA Playoffs – especially in a Western Conference that is stacked with a lot of competitive teams that has a team sitting at .500 in the 10th seed. The Lakers losing out on their recent games isn’t a great look, which says a lot about their pace heading into the final set of games in the season.

Where’s the Blame?

The Lakers have lost eight out of its last twelve games, and now they are currently in the fourth seed of the Western Conference as of the time of writing. It is easy to say that the struggles could be the fatigue kicking in as the season goes down to the finish, but then, Doncic himself admits that he is at fault for not being able to steer the ship to the right path – him and LeBron James, that is.

"I think me and Bron, think we should be the guys to do that," Doncic said after the team's 118-106 loss to the Magic. "That's on me. Obviously, I've got to do better, I've got to talk more. I talked in the first half, then just kind of let my voice down and I shouldn't do that."

Doncic has found his footing on the offensive end with the Lakers, but the lack of a sense of urgency to win key games has been really alarming as of late. It’s not like the Lakers’ schedule is also set to get easy in the closing stretch – not when they have the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder twice on a back-to-back.

The Lakers have always managed to make it to the playoffs so far in the past few years, and yet things haven’t been the same since they won that title in 2020. Now more than ever, it seems that they will need to refine their chances and make the most of their final set of games.

By the Numbers

Looking at the standings, the Lakers are just a few wins away from getting into the second seed and acquiring a highly-needed homecourt advantage against some of its tough opponents. However, they are also just a few losses from becoming a Play-In Team as well. The West’s 2-8 seeds are all separated by just a meager 0.5 games, meaning that a single win or loss could well affect the standings drastically.

When it comes to the odds, the Lakers are quite a surprise team at the top five, just behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles stands at +1400, tied with the latter team. However, that number is subject to change in the coming weeks as the Lakers try to make the most of their chances and somehow navigate the closing games on their schedule with a bang.