In a depressing bit of Lakers news today, the Los Angeles Lakers need a victory at home tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats to escape suffering the most losses of any Laker team in one month in 50 years.

ESPN Stats and Information posted the bad news on Twitter an hour ago--

"From @EliasSports: Lakers have 11 losses in January entering tonight. They haven't lost 12+ in a month since Feb. 1964 (5-13)."

The injury-ravaged Los Angeles Lakers are 3-11 this month, and have lost 17 of their past 20 contests. In those 20 games, the Lakers have given up 100 points or more 18 times, and have been subject to multiple controversies and distractions surrounding the health of superstars Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, along with the possibility that center Pau Gasol's frustration with Mike D'Antoni's coaching style could lead him to being traded before the February 15th NBA trade deadline.

While the fact that the Lakers haven't lost 12 games or more in a month since 1964 is a testament to the sustained longevity of success the Los Angeles Lakers have had over the past five decades, a loss tonight could possibly serve as a wake-up call for a Lakers' team that is in very real danger of falling to the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

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