Lakers Week 18 in review: Losing streak grows to eight games

The Lakers continued to struggle through Week 18, dropping an additional three contests to see their losing streak extend to eight games.

The week opened in Milwaukee against the Bucks, but forward Giannis Antetokounmpo reached a triple-double as his team beat the Lakers, 108-101.

Additionally, Rookie Larry Nance Jr. left the game early with a sore knee.

Coach Byron Scott said the Lakers were not going to lose on purpose.

Should he be fired? Would that change anything?

Kobe Bryant is enjoying his farewell tour, but the Lakers simply aren’t getting it done on the floor.

The team traveled to Memphis, visiting the Grizzlies on Wednesday. The skid continued with a 128-119 loss.

The Lakers returned home for a quick rematch against the Grizzlies, but the result was another defeat, 112-95.

Bryant sat out to rest a sore shoulder. Rookie Anthony Brown started in his stead but the Lakers continued to struggle most on defense -- a problem for much of the year.

Rookie D’Angelo Russell, recently moved to the starting lineup, found a way to thrive in the Lakers’ new offensive set. Scott said Russell is getting comfortable in his role.

Perhaps the tide will change for the Lakers, with a month full of home games in March. Of course, winning could hurt the team’s odds of landing a top prospect in the NBA draft.

Meanwhile, Bryant is joining Will Ferrell to campaign to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to Los Angeles.

Second-year forward Julius Randle has a good shot at a fruitful NBA career, if he can develop a good jump shot.

One team threatening the Lakers’ draft position is the Phoenix Suns, who are losing games at an extremely high clip.

The Lakers struggles seems to date back to a single instance -- the vetoed Chris Paul trade.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus