The Los Angeles Lakers have hit a hard patch this season, dropping six of ten. Anthony Davis is out for at least another week and a half with an Achilles tendon injury. Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso are below 100 percent. However, it is far from time to panic in Hollywood. With everyone out there on the floor, the Lakers have bought themselves one of the best starting five lineups in the NBA, with LeBron, AD, Marc Gasol, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dennis Schroder. With the Jazz and Clippers also having issues with consistency right now, the Lakers still are within striking distance of the top of the West.
As you consider your NBA betting for the rest of the week, let’s take a look at the latest key news from the Association.
NBA News: The Rumor Mill
Spurs likely to buy out LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge is entering the twilight of his career, as his defense and rebounding have dropped significantly in comparison to his earlier days. In 21 games this season, he has put up 13.7 points and 4.5 boards per game, which are his lowest numbers since his rookie campaign. Last week, Aldrdige and the Spurs mutually agreed that he would leave. Boston and Miami are interested in Aldridge, but Boston is waiting for a buyout after the March 25 deadline, and Miami isn’t offering enough to interest the Spurs. So it’s likely that Aldridge will wait another week and a half or so before he enters the open market.
Detroit continues to rebuild, adds OKC’s Diallo
The Detroit Pistons are still reworking their roster. They traded Derrick Rose and gave Blake Griffin a buyout in recent days, but they aren’t done. They have agreed to ship Svi Mykhailiuk and a second-round draft pick in 2027 to Oklahoma City for guard Hamidou Diallo. Diallo is scoring a career high 11.9 points per game. The Pistons have almost flipped their entire roster, as Sekou Doumbouya is now the only player who appeared for Detroit last year who is still on the team.
Clippers show consistency with a win in Dallas
The Clippers took a 135-115 pasting in New Orleans on Sunday night and headed to Dallas at risk of dropping back-to-back games for the first time in 2020-2021. However, Kawhi Leonard put the team on his back, putting up 22 points, eight boards, seven assists and four steals to lead L.A. to a 109-99 win in Dallas. That ended a stretch in which the Clippers had dropped five out of seven. After the loss in New Orleans, Marcus Morris Sr was inserted into the starting lineup and Nic Batum went to the bench. Morris had seven points in the first quarter en route to a 14-point night, and Batum nailed four three-balls to score a dozen on the night, pulling down seven boards. That made the Clippers 7-0 on the second night of back-to-back games this season.
Curry frustrated with the Warriors’ latest blowout loss
There were moments in Golden State’s game against the Lakers on Monday night when the Warriors hung close, but the Lakers ended up pulling away, winning 128-97 up in the Bay Area. Stephen Curry said after the game that “We have to develop a winning attitude every single night, and honestly, we’ve got to get sick of getting blown out, because that’s embarrassing. We have to have some pride about how we’re playing.” The Warriors are now 20-20, but the young squad has been wildly inconsistent. On Sunday, the Warriors beat the best team in the NBA, taking down Utah by 12, but then the next night they lost by 31. Other than Curry, the Warriors’ roster has not put together consistent efforts throughout the course of the season, particularly on the defensive end of things. Changes in the rotation have had mixed results for the team, as coach Steve Kerr looks to get his team closer to its elite level from a few years ago.
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