The worst quarter in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise was recorded on Sunday night, as they were outclassed by the Portland Trail Blazers before half-time.
The Lakers were looking comfortable heading into the second quarter, as they led by seven points with the score at 33-26. But things quickly changed as they endured a brutal 12 minutes, heading into half-time 46-71 down.
The Trail Blazers took the second quarter 45-13, meaning that the Lakers were outscored by 32 points in the build-up to the break. It set a new record for the worst quarter in their history, but thankfully a huge 37-point game from LeBron James swung the pendulum once again, and the lakers won 121-112 on the night.
After turning their season around, the Lakers have hit an inconsistent run of form once again, but after a stunning turnaround there is belief that this could be the win that transforms their season. After suffering their worst quarter in franchise history, they recorded their second-biggest halftime comeback in franchise history the same night.
They were 2-10 at the start of the campaign as they appeared to be in crisis, but they suddenly improved and balanced out their record. Their record is 22-25 as they sit 12th in the Western Conference, where the Denver Nuggets are leading the way. And they were given a harsh, but thankfully brief reality check on Sunday night, although it's something that James won't initially be happy about.
The Lakers only won the NBA title back in 2020, when it was a shortened season due to the global pandemic. But with Anthony Davis in their ranks, and then the addition of Russell Westbrook, they were meant to be title challengers again.
But it's not gone the way that they'd hoped, and their roster has been put in the spotlight this season due to a lack of depth. Davis continues to be injury prone, and even with James still performing at Championship level, they're not the same without him.
Without James on the court too, they're even more vulnerable, and this was proved in shocking fashion when they faced the Houston Rockets last week. The Rockets are statistically the worst team in the NBA, but embarrassed the Lakers when James stepped off the court for just under four minutes.
In the third quarter of the Lakers' win over the Rockets, James checked out of the game briefly while his side held a comfortable 95-81 lead. But by the time the buzzer sounded for the end of the third, their advantage had been shaved to four points.
James reentered at the start of the fourth and within less than two minutes, the lead had swelled back to 13 points. There are problems for the Lakers to solve, and they need more depth.
The 38-year-old has even admitted to feeling "exhausted" at times this season, and even though he is one of the greatest ever players, he can't be expected to do it all. It could be another wasted season for the Lakers, but after a night of mixed emotions, there's hope it could springboard their campaign.
