Lakers still unable to win both games on back-to-back nights

The Lakers lost a winnable game on Wednesday, unable to take advantage of the short-handed Atlanta Hawks. After a victory on Tuesday in Orlando, the Lakers failed for the 13th time this season to win both games in a back-to-back set.

So far this year, the Lakers have lost both games on back-to-back nights three times. In five cases they’ve redeemed a loss in the first game with win in the second.

The Lakers have won only the first game of back-to-back contests five times.

With 16 games left in the regular season, the Lakers still have three more opportunities to win on consecutive nights. They host the Sacramento Kings this Sunday followed by a visit to the Phoenix Suns on Monday.

The Lakers will travel to Minnesota and Milwaukee on March 27-28. Their last back-to-back set starts at Staples Center on April 9 against the New Orleans Hornets before a visit to Portland the next night.

The Bucks are the only team in that group of six with a winning record, although the Lakers have lost in back-to-back situations to teams with losing records this season.

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