NBA: Manic Monday Leaves Lakers and Nuggets Craving Break

How do you go from beating the Celtics in their home court to getting stomped in Charlotte? Al Dannity addresses the concerns for the Lakers and looks at a Denver team in need of a break.

Time to chill
Chris Bosh talked plenty about how players sometimes need to chill earlier in the season. The Lakers would be well-advised to heed his words once the All-Star break kicks in. In their victories over Boston and the Knicks, the Lakers finally showed what they are capable of doing when everything clicks. The problem for Los Angeles has been developing the patience to ensure they can deliver these kinds of performances consistently.

Getting beaten up by Orlando wasn’t terribly shocking. Losing 109-89 on the road to the Bobcats is another matter entirely. The Lakers have lost 7 of their last 10 against Charlotte but Phil Jackson made no excuses after this game. Los Angeles flat-out stank on Monday night.

With a six day rest for most of the Lakers following tomorrow night’s game in Cleveland, the Lakers have an opportunity to regroup and get ready for the final push. This is not the time for panic. NBA betting fans know how good this team can be. The message from Phil Jackson to his team should be simple: Take the break, put these poor performances behind you and come back ready for the games that really matter.

Melo-drama ends in less than 9 days
Whether Carmelo stays or goes, Denver could do with a rest sooner rather than later. The Nuggets got destroyed in Houston on Monday, their second straight defeat. After going 3-7 in their last 10 games, they are now just 1 game ahead of the Grizzlies for the #8 and last seed in the Western Conference. Portland and Utah are only narrowly ahead of Denver but the Nuggets don’t look like a team on an upward trend. The endless distractions with Melo have clearly taken their toll. Whatever else, the Nuggets should know where they stand with their superstar once the All-Star break ends.

In the meantime the onus is on George Karl to remind his players about matters on the court. This team is in a competitive race for the post-season and even without Melo, they have the pieces to at least give the teams around them a good fight for the last playoff spot. The Nuggets must focus on re-establishing the Pepsi Center as a daunting place for opponents to visit. The push for the playoffs is the immediate priority, once the trade deadline passes the Melo issue should be put to bed until the draft.

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