LOS ANGELES — With three games remaining in the regular season and playoff qualification on the line, the los angeles lakers played their stars on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The question is, after a 125-118 loss in a game where the Lakers trailed by as many as 24 points, was it worth it when they could have prioritized rest in an attempt to be as nimble as possible for the bottom two? regular season games this weekend?
“It’s one of the toughest games we’ve had this year,” he said. Lebron James, who scored 30 of his team-high 33 points after halftime, but also had a team-high six turnovers. “Coming off the road trip and coming back late last night after an overtime game… this was one of those scheduling conflicts in the season and it definitely got the better of us tonight.”
James and antonio davis both were listed as questionable with their respective foot injuries, but the Lakers upgraded them to available approximately 45 minutes before kickoff, and both started the game.
Davis had 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, playing his first consecutive series of games since November, before suffering a bone spur and stress reaction in his right foot in December that cost him 20 games.
“I’ve been better,” he said when asked how his foot felt after the game. “But I will be ok”.
The Lakers, coming off a four-game, eight-day road trip that included an unplanned extra night in Minneapolis due to a blizzard and an overtime game in Salt Lake City on Tuesday as the finale, ran into a circular saw from the Clippers. , as kawhi leonard and Co. had been looking forward to the game in Los Angeles on three full days of rest since their last game on Saturday.
“Circumstances were not used as crutches,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “They were just real. The actual NBA schedule. Everyone goes through it at some point on their schedule each and every year.”
D’Angelo Russellwho was absent on Tuesday due to pain in his left foot, and mo bambaout since early March due to a high ankle sprain, they also became available.
Russell had 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting and seven assists in 40 minutes. Bamba did not enter the game.
“I’m just trying to do it right,” Russell said of his foot injury. “Playing at 50 percent isn’t helping the team. Anytime I’m more than that, I’m ready to play.”
The Crypto.com Arena co-inhabitants came in Wednesday night with identical 41-38 records, with the Clippers dominating the tiebreaker.
Wednesday’s result moved the Clippers to No. 5, one game ahead of the Lakers, while holding the tiebreaker. The Lakers are at No. 7 with home games against the phoenix suns Friday and utah jazz the remaining Sunday.
The Lakers can still capture the No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in tournament by going 2-0 combined with the warriors of the golden state ending 1-1. The Warriors have road games against the sacramento kings and Portland Trail Blazers remaining.
“Wherever we end up, that’s where we end up,” James said. “It’s been like four or five seasons in one for us. We cannot afford to say: ‘This is what we have to do. This is where we’re going to be.’ We have to keep playing good basketball.
He added: “We’ll see. Wherever we land, we’ll be ready to go.”