Opposed to the Clippers last night in the Los Angeles derby, the Lakers did not really see the light of day. Worse, Anthony Davis left with an injury due to a back injury. Clearly, this end of the regular season fears a max for the reigning champions.
The more we advance, the more the scenario sending the Lakers to the play-in tournament seems to take shape. After their 24-pawn loss to the Clippers, the seventh in nine games, the reigning champions find themselves in a perfect tie with the Blazers, seventh in the standings. Both teams have a record of 37 wins and 29 losses and guess what, we have a magnificent Portland-Los Angeles next night in Oregon.. A crucial meeting in the race for sixth place, not only because the two teams are tied at the time of these lines but also because the winner will have the advantage of the tie-breaker for the end of the season. We are therefore almost already in a Playoffs match and the problem is that things are bad for Frank Vogel’s men. We already know that LeBron James will be out because of his ankle, as will Dennis Schroder – currently in COVID protocol – and Talen Horton-Tucker (calf injury). But as if that were not enough, friend Anthony Davis has just joined the infirmary once again, he who felt back pain in the match against the Clippers, match in which he played only nine minutes before to definitively join the changing rooms. Obviously, knowing that the Lakers will play back-to-back against the Blazers on Friday, we can have doubts about AD’s participation. The latter, also slightly affected in the ankle, was however reassuring by saying that he should be able to play in Portland, but the fans of the Lakers are far from reassured given the scenario of this end of the regular season. .
Source : ESPN
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Bad results, absences, the superstars in the infirmary, the play-in tournament which is approaching, a complicated schedule… indeed it is difficult to be calm. The galleys follow one another for the defending champions, who will also have to grapple with Phoenix – second best team in the West – at the Staples Center on Sunday, again without LeBron James. The King, initially announced forfeit for two games, will also miss the opposition against the Suns according to the latest news from Shams Charania, via Stadium. According to the insider, LeBron is aiming for a comeback next week, either Tuesday against the Knicks at Staples or Wednesday against the Rockets, also at home. We are bound to closely monitor James’ status but what is certain is that even if the Lakers are struggling to death today, the franchise and the superstar are not going to rush a comeback. Obviously, avoiding this damn play-in tournament where anything can happen is the goal of the end of the season for Californians, but that’s not reason enough to play LeBron on one leg. Can it come back 100% recharged? Probably not. On the other hand, the Lakers and the King want to do their utmost so that the latter can leave in the best possible shape, play-in tournament or not.
“Sources tell me LeBron James is aiming to return to the Lakers lineup next week…”
The latest from NBA Insider @ShamsCharania: pic.twitter.com/JS7Ur1lzEm
— Stadium (@Stadium) May 6, 2021
Today, the Lakers have six games left at the end of the 2020-21 regular season. Six games to play, six games to finish as best as possible despite the unfavorable circumstances of the moment: Portland (away), Phoenix, New York, Houston (all three games at home), Indiana and New Orleans (both moving). The fight with the Mavericks and Blazers for the 5-6-7 spots promises to be epic, even if Dallas is in a strong position to keep its fifth place (first in its division and level 1 health course to finish), which should give us a two-man race between Los Angeles and Portland in the final days of the regular season. If you’re a Lakers fan and are sweating right now, tell yourself that Damian Lillard and his buddies also have a busy schedule, as they end their campaign with the Utah-Phoenix-Denver triplet. Everything remains to be played and this case could well be decided at the buzzer.
The sky over the City of Angels is very cloudy today, and the weather forecast is not very encouraging. The Lakers, who seemed armed to the teeth to defend their title in the Playoffs, are currently in the hard. Imagining them doing the back-to-back at time T is more and more difficult given their struggles at the moment. The hope is to see LeBron and AD back in good shape to be able to straighten the bar, and the health of the two superstars is therefore the priority despite the increasingly imposing shadow of the play-in tournament.
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