🏀 Is It Time For Lakers Fans To Worry?

After a Christmas Day loss to the Clippers and a four-game losing streak, the Lakers have a lot to think about. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: The Lakers came up short against the Clippers on Christmas Day ... a stunning fact about Mickey Mantle ... and Kevin Hart became part of one of the funniest NBA moments of the year. After four defeats in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers, surely it’s time for all-out panic for the purple and gold, right? Well, no — not so fast. Yet with Christmas in the books and a brand-new year fast approaching, there are some concerns coming out of the festive period that simply cannot be ignored for a team that, a week ago, looked like an overwhelming favorite to lift the title. The Lakers’ Christmas Day defeat to the cross-corridor Clippers in particular might not lead to a significant jolt in the standings when all is said and done. However, the marquee matchup did unwrap some issues that point even more towards an intriguing postseason in a few months’ time. In a clash featuring four of the biggest names in the game, it was defensive pest Patrick Beverley who iced the contest with a swift-thinking, deflected block off LeBron James, thereby giving the Clippers a double dose of seasonal bragging rights over their co-residents of Staples Center. And perhaps that in itself was the biggest marker of things to come when the playoffs arrive. With some of the primary stars in the game likely to square off, will it be the extras, the intangibles, the worker bees like Beverley that tilt the pendulum one way or another? That is one area that could prove problematic for the Lakers. On most given nights, the collective forces of James and Anthony Davis are enough to blow away the opposition. However, when there is a rival ready, willing and capable to match up in the star power stakes, will L.A.’s supporting parts have what it takes? Or will it be left to James to go above and beyond in order to reach the promised land of contending for a title? [STORY IMAGE 1] “LeBron has to be better,” FOX NBA analyst Chris Broussard said on First Things First. “The two games against the Clippers he hasn’t been LeBron James. I don’t need 12 three-pointers; I need him driving to the basket, posting up, pushing the ball in transition. If LeBron is himself, they do win that game.” James managed 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds against the Clippers, but was hampered by a groin knock sustained early and could not stop Kawhi Leonard and Paul George spearheading a second half comeback that overturned a 15-point deficit and crafted it into a 111-106 win. As James rose to try to launch a potentially tying three with 4.2 seconds left, Beverley got a hand to the ball and swiped it out of bounds — caroming off James on the way through. There are small margins in play at the very elite levels of the NBA. Was Leonard, with 35 points in 38 minutes, fresher as a result of the way his games and court time have been handled over the course of the season? Leonard has played 24 out of 33 games and rests frequently, averaging just 31.6 minutes in the games he does play. James has steadfastly refused to adopt a similar approach. “If I am healthy,” James said earlier this month, “I play.” Coming out of the Wednesday setback, though — one that left the Lakers 24-7 after previous consecutive losses to the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets — it seemed likely that the groin problem would cause at least a brief layoff. Last year (also on Christmas Day), James tore his left groin against the Golden State Warriors, which caused a long break that torpedoed the team’s campaign. This issue initially appears to be far less severe, but a short break may actually provide some needed rest. [STORY IMAGE 2] “Several members of the organization already have approached James about the urgency to sit out and rehab his groin injury until he feels fully recovered,” wrote ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, citing sources. It’s a tough dilemma. It feels foolish to fault James, days away from his 35th birthday, for wanting to play as much as possible. And though Leonard’s method worked wonders with the Toronto Raptors last season and has the full backing of the Clippers, the reality persists that basketball fans want to see the best players in uniform, not sat on the bench. However, the structure of the league rewards those who are outstanding come playoff time, not necessarily those who blaze a trail of destruction between October and April. James himself produced arguably his finest hour in helping the Cleveland Cavaliers take down the 73-9 in Warriors in 2016. “I love that LeBron and (Davis) are respecting the regular season,” Broussard added. “But he has not been himself against Indiana, Milwaukee or the Clippers. That LeBron James is not going to get the Lakers over the hump. He needs to get healthy.” The Christmas Day games were what they usually are: a glimpse of potentially mouthwatering showdowns to come. They are not always an accurate barometer of what the postseason outcome will be, and the Lakers will hope that is the case again. One thing is for sure: they — and James — have plenty to ponder as the season’s midpoint approaches. [STORY IMAGE 3] Here’s what others have said ... Brad Botkin, CBS Sports: “With obvious exceptions, LeBron hasn't been at his most efficient in fourth quarters this season, and he surely wasn't on Wednesday. And he didn't handle that last possession well. By bleeding the clock down from 19 seconds to four seconds, he only opened up the possibility of the Clippers fouling late in the clock to not even give him a chance at attempting a 3-pointer in the first place. It was surprising the Clippers didn't do that, actually.” Harrison Faigen, Silver Screen and Roll: “Davis didn’t shut Leonard down by any means — he finished with 35 points — but he didn’t get embarrassed in his moments defending him either, which can be chalked up as a win for a Lakers team lacking in bigger wing defenders. Leonard eviscerated Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on opening night, and with Paul George back, Frank Vogel couldn’t have Danny Green guard both players. He opted to start with Davis on Leonard so that Green could mostly guard George, and it was disruptive on enough possessions to be worth further exploring. The results weren’t perfect, and the Lakers will really need LeBron to take on more of the load here in a theoretical playoff matchup, but for the second game against the Clippers it looked like an option the Lakers can go to in a pinch.” Mark Medina, USA TODAY: “By the time the Lakers and Clippers meet on Jan. 28 and March 8, other developments will likely happen. Perhaps Kyle Kuzma builds off his 25-point performance against the Clippers after laboring with injuries and his role. Perhaps the Lakers become more conservative with James and Anthony so that they are fully healthy later in the season. Perhaps the Clippers struggle with staying as engaged against non-playoff teams as they were against the Lakers. Or perhaps they finally benefit from having a fully healthy roster.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer examines [the lasting impact of former Colts coach Chuck Pagano’s battle with cancer](. - [The worst Christmas Day NBA game took place in 2008](. SB Nation has the entire, ugly tale. - [Mickey Mantle cried after strikeouts](. That’s just one of the bizarre things ESPN writer Sam Miller learned about baseball this year. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( Kevin Hart is one of the biggest celebrity NBA fans around, and can often be found sitting courtside at the Staples Center. Those seats can sometimes be a dangerous place, as the Jumanji: The Next Level star (shamefully, the sequel was not named 2manji) discovered on Christmas Day. AD accidentally landed on Hart during a shot, and was quickly joined by LeBron as the three buds yukked it up. The Lakers wouldn’t be laughing at the end of the night, but it was a ton of fun while it lasted. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks (TNT, 8 p.m. ET) One of two intra-state rivalry games on Thursday — along with Nets vs. Knicks — will provide a chance for the Mavs to reach the 20-win mark on Boxing Day. Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (TNT, 10:30 p.m. ET) The Blazers and Jazz are two solid teams in the West this season who are both still looking for all the pieces to click into place; hopefully they’ll both hit their stride just as the year ends. Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Manchester City (Amazon Prime, Friday, 2:45 p.m. ET) Friday’s lone game in the English Premier League mainly serves as a chance for City to attempt to gain on Liverpool’s 11-point lead over them in the table. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Spurs vs. Mavericks under 226.5 and Mavericks win: +163 The Mavs are favored by 6.5 at home on Thursday night and the Spurs haven’t exactly been setting the league on fire this season. Dallas are the overwhelming favorites to win, so the action might be with the over/under. The Mavs have scored under 113 points in six of their last 10 games. But if you feel like taking the over along with a Mavs victory, the odds remain at +163. The ball is in your court. [WHAT THEY SAID] “The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.” — Bill Russell [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download the FOX Sports app for live scores and streaming [App Store]( [Google Play]( Available on: [tvOS] [Roku] [fireTV] [androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast] [tvOS] [Roku] [fireTV] [androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast] Forwarded this message? [Sign up](. Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2019 FOX Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. 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