The concept of momentum is one of sports’ many paradoxes, mainly because it is not tangible.
An observer can’t always see momentum with their own eyes until after it happens. There is no official tracking or assigned statistician responsible for tallying it in the ledger after every game. However, when the tides begin to shift in the favor of one team, it’s also somehow unmistakable, as real as the athletes themselves.
For the Lakers — winners of four of their last five games — momentum seems to finally be in front of them after eluding their grasp for the majority of the season.