The Los Angeles Lakers got off to yet another slow start, struggled behind the arc and at the free throw line, and suffered a loss to a Cleveland Cavaliers team that was mired in a 12-game losing streak.
The struggles have become all too familiar and routine for the Lakers since LeBron James and Rajon Rondo were injured in a blowout of the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day. The Lakers are an abysmal 3-7 without the two veterans.
The stretch includes Kyle Kuzma missing 2.5 games because of a lower back contusion. While he torched the Detroit Pistons for a career-high 41 points, Kuzma hasn’t consistently played to his standards since returning.