The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third straight loss on Thursday night, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks. Their winless Eastern Conference road trip now leaves them in a difficult position as they return to the West Coast for a brutal schedule.

The Lakers are set to play five games in the next seven days after the NBA rescheduled multiple January matchups to mid-March due to the Los Angeles wildfires (h/t Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Their upcoming slate includes tough games against the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic.

The schedule couldn’t come at a worse time for the Lakers, as they continue to deal with key injuries.

LeBron James is sidelined with a groin injury sustained against the Boston Celtics on March 8 and is expected to miss at least part of this stretch. Jaxson Hayes has been out for three games, while Rui Hachimura remains unavailable as he recovers from a knee injury sustained in February.

The NBA’s decision to alter the Lakers’ schedule in this way has been a controversial one, as many believe it is far too taxing of a stretch.

With James out, the Lakers have relied heavily on Luka Doncic to carry the offensive load. Doncic delivered a spectacular performance against the Bucks, finishing with 45 points and 11 rebounds, but had little help from his supporting cast. After the game, he spoke about the challenges ahead with LA’s new schedule.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gone through something like that,” Doncic admitted. “But at the end of the day, we’re getting paid to do that, and there shouldn’t be any excuses that you’re tired. You live for this. Just gotta have great recovery after every game and just keep going.”

When asked if he would suit up against the Nuggets on Friday, Doncic left it open-ended, saying, “We’ll see, we’ll see on that one.”

The Lakers currently sit fourth in the Western Conference, but with the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves closing in, they risk slipping in the standings if they can’t navigate this grueling stretch successfully.