After being down by 15 points in the first quarter and eventually losing against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton may implement a change in his team's starting five.
Per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints, Walton believes that the solution to their first quarter slump is a modification in the starting lineup.
Luke Walton on being down 15 points in the first quarter: “We might have to do something to the starting lineup right now.” #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 14, 2019
In their 101-95 loss, the Lakers had a relatively slow start on both ends of the floor. This forced Walton to call early timeouts to set plays that could spark the offense. The Lakers eventually caught up with the Cavaliers as the game progressed, thanks to efforts by Kyle Kuzma and encouragement of the home crowd.
Though they kept it close, it doesn't hide the fact that there's something wrong with the team in the game's early minutes. It's similar to the problem they had in their 119-112 loss to the New York Knicks in which they were down 39-25 after the first quarter.
What is most glaring about this is that they were up against the Cavaliers, the worst team in the league which had just eight wins and a 12-game losing streak entering the game. Though the Lakers have been struggling as of late, many believed that it should have been an easy home win.
The Lakers will face the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. Let's see what changes Walton will make to get rid of his team's first-quarter slump.
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