The Los Angeles Lakers have become the easiest target for NBA jokes this season, as the preseason favorites in the West have been a disaster thus far, finding themselves in a battle just to make the play-in tournament at 28-35.
Saturday night was one of the high points of the Lakers season, though, as LeBron James erupted for 56 points in a primetime ABC showdown against the Golden State Warriors — who are currently mired in their own skid. LeBron’s herculean effort should’ve given the Lakers one night of reprieve from jokes, but that message didn’t make its way to 30 Rockefeller Plaza where Colin Jost set himself up for a pretty incredible Laker punchline.
Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update took on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighting how many were confused at why Russia’s more advanced and powerful army was getting slowed by lesser technology, which gave a natural chance to roast the Lakers.
Some military experts have been surprised that despite having superior firepower, the Russian army has been slowed by aging equipment, poor motivation and inept leadership.
So basically, they are the Lakers.#SNL pic.twitter.com/Yygn84IRSr
— Kevin Tired (@TheiKevin) March 6, 2022
A situation like the tragic events happening in Ukraine always make for a fine line for Weekend Update, but this seems to be about as well as you can do to stick the landing on a joke about it. Even Lakers fans probably gave this one the Alonzo Mourning reaction, as it’s painfully on point.