There's no need to press the panic button at the moment, but the defending NBA champions sure could benefit from a big momentum shift, and soon.
The Los Angeles Lakers (25-13), which have lost seven of their last 11 games, find themselves a half-game back of the Utah Jazz for first place in the Pacific Division standings. Since mid-February, LeBron James has been playing without star big man Anthony Davis, who's recovering from calf and Achilles injuries. And for over two weeks, veteran center Marc Gasol has been away from the team due to the league's COVID-19 protocols.
Again, there's no need to panic in Hollywood -- the second half of the regular season just started, and the Lakers will eventually return to full-strength as a legitimate championship contender. But former NBA coach George Karl hasn't disregarded the team's recent skid.
"I don't think LeBron's very happy right now. Not only are they losing games, they're not playing with much pizzazz or intensity or enthusiasm," Karl told Jon Marks on CBS Sports Radio on Sunday. "They're searching a little bit. And I know that's without Anthony Davis, and I know that they'll be a different basketball team when he comes back. But I just don't like the connection right now.
"I don't know if they're tired, mentally tired. I think we've heard the stories that LeBron can mentally wear teams out a little bit. That might be the case. I don't know those things -- you've got to be in the locker room to know that stuff. But, I just don't like their flow."
Lakers fans should take solace in the fact that the team's defensive rating (106.0) ranks best in the league, and James' defensive win shares (.180) ranks third-best among individual players.
"The one thing I think they have going for them is that they're the best defensive team in the Western Conference when they play defense," Karl told Marks. "The thing I don't like about that is they don't play defense every night. They kind of take the pulse of the game and do what they have to do to win a game, rather than just going out and demanding and dominating the game."
The Lakers, which haven't won three consecutive games since Feb. 12, will visit the Golden State Warriors (20-19) on Monday night.
You can follow Jon Marks on Twitter @JonMarksMedia, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.