That the Lakers might have picked up some momentum by defeating the Clippers and the Toronto Raptors in back-to-back games.
And that those victories would serve as a launching pad into something better, was, well, a strange concept. For starters, at least, to.500.
On Thursday, the Lakers were forced to confront the hard reality of their injury-shortened rotation and their weaknesses when they played the Phoenix Suns, who are led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham described this team as a "three-headed monster."
The Suns' 127-109 victory at Crypto.com Arena wasn't so much shocking as it was the Lakers reverting to their awful.
New normal—one in which they were unable to stop three-pointers, turned the ball over much too frequently, and received insufficient assistance for LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The five Lakers starters had a combined total of 47 points after three quarters. Just Beal and Booker had sixty.
James, who had injured his ankle earlier in the game, shot three for eleven points in 24 minutes and 16 seconds, scoring a season-low 10 points (including four missed three-pointers). After three quarters, with the Suns up 105-78, he took a break.