NBA schedule: Lakers have everything to prove in crucial 3-game slate

The NBA schedule doesn’t do the Lakers any favors this week but it does offer a chance to make a statement win and gain ground in the standings.

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off an early trade yesterday, landing Rui Hachimura for Kendrick Nunn and a trio of second-round picks. He should be able to join the team this week and could provide an instant infusion of scoring and creation to a roster that has been relying heavily on LeBron James since Anthony Davis went down with injury.

The Lakers begin the week 22-25, 12th in the Western Conference but just one game out of the play-in tournament positions. The NBA schedule will throw some significant challenges at them this week but also offers an opportunity to build some positive momentum.

What does the NBA schedule have in store for the Lakers this week?

Tuesday, Jan. 24 vs. Los Clippers

The Lakers are slight underdogs in this game but they’re riding a two-game winning streak, they should have LeBron James in the lineup and they could be riding the positive energy of the Hachimura trade and their big comeback win over the Trail Blazers. The Clippers have a two-game edge on the Lakers in the standings and have already beaten their hometown rivals twice this season. However, they haven’t met since early November and the Lakers will have a some significant pieces for this one — Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder — that they didn’t have earlier. It’s a tough matchup, but it’s a very winnable one for the Lakers.

Wednesday, Jan. 25 vs. San Antonio Spurs

The Lakers then face the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back. Despite the scheduling disadvantage, this is another home game and against a team the Lakers should beat. FiveThirtyEight gives the Lakers a 75 percent chance of winning this game and the Spurs will be without Devin Vassell, their second-leading scorer on the season. The Lakers need to make up ground in the standings and winning this kind of game is essential.

Saturday, Jan. 28 vs. Boston Celtics

The Celtics on the road will present the toughest test of the week for the Lakers and one of the toughest games of the season. Boston currently has the best record in the Eastern Conference and they’re 18-5 at home through the beginning of this week. However, LeBron James gives the Lakers a chance to win any game and they did beat the Celtics already this season, grabbing a 116-103 win in early November.

If the Lakers could win all three of these games they’d have an enormous confidence boost and potentially have moved back into position for the play-in tournament. The following week brings the rest of this east coast road trip with games against the Nets, Knicks, Pacers and Pelicans. Things aren’t going to get any easier and every day brings us closer to the end of the regular season. The Lakers don’t have time to waste.

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