Article:Staples Center curse?

The Los Angeles Lakers don't believe in any such curse; they are the only Los Angeles-based team to actually know how to win games this month. Meanwhile, their Staples Center co-tenants can't wait to make their New Year's Resolutions. The Los Angeles Clippers have gone 3-10 in December (with two games remaining, including a likely 40-point loss at the Phoenix Suns tonight to follow a 20-point loss to the Suns at home last night), and have gone an inspiring 5-18 since their 4-0 start this season. On the bright side, the Clippers are ranked 28th in ESPN.com's Weekly Power Rankings.

At least one team in Staples Center can say that they're the best at something... unfortunately, they're the best at being horrible. The 30th ranked Los Angeles Kings (according to ESPN.com) have gone an incredible 2-12-1, greatly surpassing expectations fans had before the season, including losing eight consecutive games. The only good thing about the Kings this year is that they're consistent; every single goaltender the Kings have used this year has a first name beginning with "J". Jonathan Bernier, Jason LaBarbera, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, and Jonathan Quick have combined to give the Kings by far the worst record in the National Hockey League.

The Lakers are the only team in Los Angeles to be in a playoff spot right now, and are the only team that knows how to win game consistently. In a 9-3 month, the Lakers have averaged 107 points per game, and their three losses have come by a combined 13 points. A very merry Christmas for the purple and gold, as the Lakers improved to 2-0 against the Suns this season with a huge 122-115 victory on Tuesday. If the Lakers can defeat the Utah Jazz tonight, and if the Clippers can somehow pull another LA upset in the desert, the Lakers will trail the Suns by only .5 games in the Pacific Division. The Lakers, who are playing some of the best basketball of the season while riding a three-game winning streak and a 9-2 stretch, will have a true test on Sunday. The Lakers will try to avenge their early-season loss to the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers did hold their own against the Celtics, losing only by 13 points, a number which Boston thinks should be higher (you know how greedy New England is: the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, New England thinks they're the only area that even has a team). The Lakers need as many victories as they possibly can while they can get them, because wins are gonna be few and far between when the Lakers hit the road for 12 of 13 games from January 31-February 24. The way Kobe Bryant  has been sharing the ball and the way Andrew Bynum has played like the big man we know he can be, anything is possible. Remember the Lakers were 23-11 last year before struggling just to make the postseason. So keep your eyes open, but don't get your hopes up.