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The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most talked-about teams this season. Their expectations were high going in and so far, they haven't disappointed. The Lakers have a record of 10-2 as they beat the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
LeBron James and Co. are on top of the Western Conference and look like the contending team fans anticipated them to be. If they keep this up, the Lakers will be a force come playoff time.
The 2019-20 Lakers have put the team on the league's radar. After six seasons of missing the playoffs, this year's team looks like a side that will help the Lakers return to prominence. It all depends on the performances of players such as Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Los Angeles has a rich history with numerous championships and several legendary players. The Lakers organization has achieved great success and deserve the acclaim they receive. However, they've had ups and downs. Like any team, they've experienced losing seasons, rebuilds, and in some cases, significant losses. In the team's history, they have had big losses and several of them at that. Here are five of the Lakers' biggest regular season losses.
#5 Boston Celtics beat the Minneapolis Lakers 119-75 (11 November, 1955): 44-point loss
One of the Lakers' biggest losses happened before they moved to L.A. In 1955, the Minneapolis Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics 119-75.
This loss came towards the beginning of the season, as this marked the Celtics' second win of the season and one of four losses for the Lakers. The Celtics finished the game with a record of 2-0, and the Lakers were 1-4. This game was an away game, and the Lakers could not get the win.
The Lakers had two players in double figures, as small forward Dick Schnittker led the team with 12 points. Their point guard Slater Martin was close behind with 10 points.
On the other hand, the Celtics had eight players in double figures. Power forward Ed Macauley led the Celtics with 23 points. Then, players such as Red Morrison and Bill Sharman had 16 and 15 points, respectively. The only player who did not score double figures was Celtics legend, Bob Cousy.
The Celtics went on to finish the season with a record of 39-33, and the Lakers finished with a record of 33-39. Boston made the playoffs but was knocked out by the Syracuse Nationals. The Lakers also made the playoffs but lost to the St. Louis Hawks.
The Lakers weren't in L.A just yet (the moved to L.A in 1960), but this was one of the biggest loses in Lakers' history.
#4 Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-83 (9 January, 1995): 46 point loss
The Lakers were a few months away from an interesting offseason as they suffered one of their biggest losses. In January (during the 1995-96 season), the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Lakers 129-83.
Los Angeles was off to a decent start as they had a record of 20-9 going into this game. Their opponents, the Blazers, had a record of 16-14. Despite the Lakers having a better record, the Blazers hosted the Lakers and got the 46-point win.
Lakers guard Tony Smith led the team with 19 points off the bench. He also had four assists and four steals. Smith shot 60 percent from the field, as he was one of five Lakers to score in double-figures. Guard/forward Eddie Jones had 15 points while shooting 67 percent. The Lakers had two other starters in double-figures, as Elden Campbell had 13 points and Vlade Divac had 11. Anthony Peeler had 12 points off the bench.
The Trail Blazers were led by Clyde Drexler, who finished the game with 31 points. The Glide had eight rebounds and four assists, as well. Drexler and the Blazers destroyed the Lakers and won the game by an incredible margin.
The Lakers finished the season 48-43 and reached the Western Conference semi-finals. Then they acquired two players who played a significant part in their success. They signed Shaquille O'Neal and got Kobe Bryant through a trade. So, it is fair to say the Lakers bounced back from this loss.
#3 Los Angeles Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 142-94 (6 March, 2014): 48 point loss
This season, the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers are a must-see matchup. But it wasn't always that way. On March 6, 2014, the Lakers suffered a 48 point loss against the Clippers.
In the 2013-14 season, the Lakers had their share of struggles. They finished the season with a record of 27-55, as Kobe Bryant only played six games that season. During the season, Bryant returned from an Achilles injury in December. Then 11 days later, he suffered a broken bone in his knee. As the Lakers faced the Clippers, Bryant missed his 56th game of the season.
The Lakers ran into the 'Lob City' Clippers as the trio of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan were towards their peak. The Clippers had eight players in double figures, including all of their starters.
Guard Darren Collison led the Clippers with 24 points. The remaining starters all had double-doubles, as Griffin had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Matt Barnes had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Jordan had 14 and 12, and Paul had 13 points and 11 assists. The Clippers shot 55.3 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from deep. The Lakers ran into a team that was playing exceptionally well and lost badly.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 21 points and seven rebounds, but it wasn't enough for a win. The Lakers lost the home game and continued their rough season.
#2 Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-75 (28 March, 2016): 48 point loss
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another 48-point loss in 2016 when they fell to the Utah Jazz 123-75.
The Lakers' struggles continued as they finished with the worst record of the Western Conference and the second-worst record of the league. The only team worse than the Lakers were the 76ers, who went 10-72 that season.
In this game, the Lakers shot poorly, as they shot 26-of-85 (30.6 percent) from the field. The only players to have decent showings were Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson. Williams had 16 points and was 4-of-6 from the field. Clarkson had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Bryant had five points in this game, as he shot 1-of-11 from the field. The Lakers struggled as a whole, and the Jazz took advantage. With Rodney Hood leading the way, the Jazz won by 48.
#1 Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 122-73 (17 January, 2017): 49 point loss
Kobe Bryant played his final season in 2015-16, and the Lakers were left to fend for themselves. The Lakers had players such as D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and their rookie Brandon Ingram, but as a young team, they struggled.
Los Angeles finished this season with a record of 26-56 and during this time, tallied the Lakers' biggest loss in history. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks by 49 points.
In this game, two familiar faces had the best showing for the Lakers. Lou Wiliams and Jordan Clarkson were the only players to score in double figures, and they did so off the bench. Williams had 15 points, and Clarkson had 10. The Lakers' starters combined for 37 points as Julius Randle, Luol Deng, and Nick Young had nine points each. Ingram had six points, while big man Timofey Mozgov had four. The Lakers shot 38.4 percent from the field and a horrid 14.3 percent from the 3-point line. The Mavericks, on the other hand, had a better showing.
The Mavericks shot 49 percent from the field and nearly 44 percent from 3-point range.
Guard Justin Anderson led the Mavs with 19 points off the bench. Seth Curry had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Anderson and Curry were two of seven players to score in double figures.
The Mavericks shot well in this game and ultimately got the massive win over the Lakers.
The Lakers were rebuilding and trying to recover from the loss of Bryant. They went on to continue the rebuild by drafting Lonzo Ball in the 2017 draft. Losses weren't uncommon for the 2016-17 Lakers, but the 49 point loss was a bit surprising. Regardless, all of this has led up to where the Lakers are now. It may have been worth it.
