The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled as of late, going 1-5 in a recent stretch before turning it around with back-to-back wins over the Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets. Matching up against the Nuggets, it started the first of eight-straight road games for the Lakers, the longest of the season for them.

During their 1-5 stretch, the team suffered home losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets, meaning they'll need to bring their best focus on the road against a collection of strong opponents. Unfortunately, the NBA schedule hasn't been kind to many teams this season, and it's all about finding ways to persevere.

Following the team's victory over the Nuggets, in which he had 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, Lakers star forward LeBron James was asked about the team's current road game stretch and gave his honest thoughts.

"To start off, we don't have a choice. Obviously, we're just kind of coming off one of the most gruesome gauntlets of scheduling, playing a five-in-seven. That was tough for us, and tonight was six in nine," James said.

Players and coaches have complained around the league about the scheduling this season, citing issues such as road back-to-backs and constant travel with little to no rest.

"Like I said, the first game of a road trip, of an eight-game road trip, it was good to get off to a good start and hope we continue on Thursday," he added.

The Nuggets might've been shorthanded without Cameron Johnson, Nikola Jokic, and Christian Braun, but they've been able to beat teams all season without key players. Therefore, beating them is no small feat, and one that, as James mentioned, should hopefully give them momentum for the rest of the trip.

Looking at the rest of the trip, they'll return to action on Thursday when they return to Los Angeles, but this time to play the Clippers in Inglewood at the Intuit Dome. It'll be the third time these two sides have matched up this season, with them splitting the first two matchups.

As for the remainder of the trip, some marquee matchups include the Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks. With just one day of rest in between games, JJ Redick will have to manage his minutes wisely to ensure players like LeBron can be healthy and available.

The light at the end of the tunnel, though, is that they'll follow this up with eight-straight home contests, spanning from February 5th to February 24th. Factor in Austin Reaves returning soon, and it's trending upward.