Strange guys, these Lakers.

It looked like they were still on the road, maybe trapped in Charlotte, their Eastern Conference house of horrors, but a quick check of the schedule and a quiet crowd verified they were indeed back at Staples Center.

Tuesday should have been a day for an easy victory, a chance to end a three-game skid against the barely .500 Toronto Raptors, but it turned into yet another struggle for the defending NBA champions.