Rajon Rondo and the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff hopes suffered a major blow after the team lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 128-115.

After earning an impressive win against the Houston Rockets back in Thursday, the Lakers looked to take advantage of an Anthony Davis-less Pelicans. However, they struggled all game, allowing the New Orleans to build a double-digit lead by the end of the first half.

The Lakers shot 62 percent from the free-throw line and have committed 23 turnovers against the Pelicans. This should have been a perfect opportunity for them to inch closer to the eighth-seeded L.A. Clippers, but instead, they're now four games out of the playoff race.

After the contest, veteran guard Rajon Rondo stressed one basic but integral component in the game of basketball that the Lakers need to do if they still want to have a chance at making it to the postseason.

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The Lakers have been looking out of sync January, and LeBron James' return from injury doesn't seem to be helping the team win games.

With 23 games remaining, the Lakers will need to take their game to the next level if they want to make the playoffs. They have shown in the past that they can hang with some of the best teams in the league, but at the same time, they are also capable of losing to some of the NBA's worst teams.

The team needs to find unity and consistency moving forward, otherwise, Los Angeles can kiss its playoff hopes goodbye.