LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles Lakers season that started with a loss to the LA Clippers and then skyrocketed to a first place perch in the Western Conference standings for weeks has hit a bit of a snag heading into Wednesday's Christmas Day rematch with their Staples Center cohabitants.
Sunday's 128-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets was the Lakers' third in a row -- the only time they've had a losing streak of any kind this year. At 24-6, the Lakers' record is still considerably better than the Clippers' 22-10 mark, but just six days ago they were 24-3.