At 3-3, the Lakers' season has been a frustrating start. While you can contextualize an average start with a tough opening week schedule and injuries to key players, one of the biggest culprits in the Lakers not picking up where they left off last season has to be their opening quarter performances.
Through six games, the Lakers have a point differential of -61 in the first quarter. This puts the team in a hole they have to dig themselves out of the entire game, forcing them to rally back in the fourth, which has resulted in LeBron James playing heavy minutes late in games.