The Los Angeles Lakers failed to take advantage of a New Orleans Pelicans team that played without its star Anthony Davis last night. Instead of getting a much needed win, the purple and gold suffered a 128-115 loss and are now back under .500 with a 29-30 record.

The Lakers are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013, and after a promising start to the season that saw them climb to as high as the fourth seed in the Western Conference back in December, injuries and inconsistencies have caused them to slide six spots down in the standings.

Sophomore forward Kyle Kuzma addressed the Lakers' recent struggles and according to him, one of the team's main problems right now is their lack of effort, especially when playing against non-playoff teams.

“I have no idea, honestly: We’ve been like that all year. We play a big game against a big team and then play a team that’s lesser and we play down to their level. Our sense of urgency isn’t there. There’s no way we can compete and try to win like that.”

After earning an impressive win against the Houston Rockets last Thursday, the Lakers looked complacent against the Pelicans, and the latter took advantage of that, forcing their opponents to commit 23 turnovers that allowed them to build a huge lead in as early as the first half.

This was similar to a situation the Lakers were in a few weeks ago. They earned a win against the Boston Celtics on a Rajon Rondo buzzer beater, then allowed themselves to be beaten by the Atlanta Hawks in their next outing.

If the Lakers want to make the playoffs, it is highly important for them to take advantage of their remaining 23 games. They have the fifth toughest schedule remaining, so they should know by now that it's not going to be easy. They still have a legitimate chance of making the postseason, but it will require a ton of effort and a little bit of luck for them to nab either the eighth or seventh seed by season's end.