After a disappointing close loss to the Clippers on Friday, things didn't get better for the Lakers on Sunday when they hosted the Pelicans.
The first 19.5 minutes were competitive, but after that, the spectators dominated the competition and very quickly turned it into a jumble.
The 123-95 loss is the Lakers' fifth loss in their last six games, and the 28-point margin is the second biggest loss of the season.
Postgame, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said the team needed to "flush" this loss and move on.
“When you have 23 turnovers, you’re not gonna win… Some of it is carelessness, and some of it is we’re ice cold from the perimeter right now." Frank Vogel on tonight's frustrating loss. pic.twitter.com/0CM93UBubM
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 28, 2022
Having said that, the team allowed only 22 points out of their 23 turnovers.
The game actually opened between the 2:30 mark of the second quarter and the 14-minute stretch between the end of the third period.
The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 54-28 in this time period. At the end of this segment, the Lakers received a loud blessing from the home crowd at the Crypto.com Arena.
New Orleans never looked back after that and kept its foot on the gas for a big win.
'No answer,' LeBron James said postgame of the Lakers' reaction to the Pelicans' above mentioned run.
"I had some horrible turnovers." @KingJames (32 PTS, 6 REB, 7 TO) reflects on tonight's loss and looks ahead at the upcoming tough stretch of games. pic.twitter.com/fkkp71j0m3
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 28, 2022
Along with Russell Westbrook, James combined for the team's 14 turnovers.
With this defeat the Lakers slipped to 27-33 for the season which places them in ninth place in the West. They now hold only a 2.5-game lead over the Pelicans and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Can they maintain this edge or will the downside continue? Only time will tell this but the future schedule is not favorable for them.
"It's not easy for us," James said of the road ahead.
According to Typathon, which combines the winning percentages of each team's remaining opponents to determine the strength of their schedule, the Lakers have the second-toughest schedule remaining after Sunday's games.