Kevin Garnett says those who think Lakers are title contenders are ‘f—–g delusional’

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Former Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett isn’t bullish on the Los Angeles Lakers’ title chances this season.

After reaching the Western Conference Finals a season ago, the Lakers haven’t looked like one of the better teams in the Western Conference so far during the 2023-24 regular season. Los Angeles holds the No. 9 seed in the conference at this point in time and is just one game ahead of the Golden State Warriors, who are the No. 10 seed in the standings.

The Lakers have been unable to play well on the road thus far this season. The team has come out on top in just 10 of its 27 road games. For comparison, all eight teams ahead of the Lakers in the Western Conference standings have won 15 or more road contests.

But on the bright side, the Lakers have fared well at home — evidenced by their 18-9 home record — and are fresh off a win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 9. The storied franchise managed to drop 139 points on the Pelicans in what was one of the team’s better scoring performances of the season.

A whopping five players — LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves — scored 20 points or more for the Lakers in the team’s 17-point victory. Russell — who has been playing his best basketball of the season over the past few weeks — scored a team-high 30 points while shooting 9-of-19 from the field and 6-of-13 from deep in 40 minutes of playing time.

Reaves finished right behind Russell in the scoring column with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. He also chipped in two rebounds and four assists.

It’s arguable whether the Lakers are truly title contenders, but as long as James and Davis are healthy, Los Angeles is a team that has the star power to make some noise if it can qualify for the playoffs.