The Lakers are walking a tightrope this season. As of now, they sit in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference, but they’re just half a game away from dropping into play-in territory. That’s not exactly where you want to be with the All-Star break on the horizon and the playoff race heating up.
The Western Conference is loaded this year-teams like the Thunder and Spurs have made real noise-and while the Lakers have the talent on paper, they haven’t consistently played like a squad ready to hang with the top tier. They’ve shown flashes, sure, but the inconsistency is hard to ignore. And if they want to be more than just a mid-seed team fighting to avoid the play-in, there’s one glaring issue they’ve got to address.
Let’s talk about their quarter-by-quarter performance. Lakers reporter Trevor Lane recently broke down the team’s net ratings by quarter, and the numbers paint a pretty clear picture:
- 1st Quarter: -7.7
- 2nd Quarter: -1.4
- 3rd Quarter: -2.0
- 4th Quarter: +9.8
That first quarter number jumps off the page-and not in a good way. A net rating of -7.7 to open games is a serious red flag.
It means the Lakers are consistently digging themselves into early holes, and that kind of start can set a frustrating tone for the rest of the night. When you're constantly playing from behind, it changes how you execute on both ends.
You press more. You gamble more.
And over time, that takes a toll.
The second and third quarters are slightly better, but they’re still in the red. That tells us this isn’t just about slow starts-it’s a broader issue with sustaining momentum through the first three quarters. Whether it’s defensive lapses, offensive stagnation, or inconsistent rotations, the Lakers haven’t been able to string together enough quality minutes early in games to take control.
Now, the good news: the fourth quarter. A +9.8 net rating in the final frame?
That’s elite. It shows that when the game’s on the line, this team can lock in.
They’ve got the talent, the experience, and the poise to close out games. That’s not something every team can say, and it’s a big reason why they’re still hanging around the top half of the standings.
But here’s the catch: to make that fourth-quarter dominance count, you have to be in the game by the time the fourth rolls around. If you’re down double digits heading into the final 12 minutes, even a great closing stretch might not be enough.
The Lakers can’t keep relying on late-game heroics to bail them out. That’s not a sustainable formula, especially come playoff time when every possession matters and the margin for error shrinks.
So what’s the fix? It could be a trade deadline move to shore up the rotation.
It could be a shakeup in the starting lineup. It might come down to coaching adjustments or simply better focus and energy out of the gate.
Whatever the solution is, the Lakers need to find it-and fast. Because if they can match even half of that fourth-quarter intensity earlier in games, this team has the potential to do real damage in the West.
But until then, they’ll keep walking that fine line between contender and question mark.