The Luka Doncic era is off to a slow start for the Los Angeles Lakers. In three games with their new 25-year-old superstar, they have lost twice in a row to the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets, two vastly inferior teams, and while there is no reason to panic, they do need to stop the resulting bleeding right away.
They will play the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that won 10 of 11 games before a current three-game losing streak, on Thursday evening in Oregon. After that, they will visit the Denver Nuggets, who are the hottest team in the NBA and their own personal kryptonite, on Saturday.