Going into last weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers were on a roll. They had won nine of their last 10 games, and they had even played well enough to momentarily move into eighth place in the Western Conference.
But LeBron James came down with an illness shortly before their Sunday game against the Timberwolves and wasn’t able to play. Then Anthony Davis was forced out after the first quarter because he got hit in the eye by Kyle Anderson.
Los Angeles lost that contest, and without Davis for all of Tuesday’s game, it fell 134-120 to the Golden State Warriors, even though James played and scored 33 points.
With a 45-35 record, its chances of finishing seventh or eighth in the West are now very slim. Even worse, it’s ahead of the Warriors by just half a game in ninth place, which means there is a real chance the team will have to win two road games in the play-in tournament just to make the playoffs.
Still, James said after Tuesday’s game the Lakers are very potent when fully healthy (at 1:25).
LeBron James speaks about the impact of Anthony Davis' absence, tonight's loss, and provides an update on his illness. pic.twitter.com/zvDcWYxYZW
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 10, 2024
“At the end of the day, we know we’re as good as any team in the league when we’re whole, and when we’re not, it’s hard for us to make up, especially having a guy like A.D. not playing. It’s almost pretty much impossible to make up for what he provides for our ballclub both offensively and defensively.”
The Lakers mustered 120 points without Davis, but they really missed him defensively. They had almost no rim protection or defensive presence in the paint. At least partly as a result, they allowed Golden State to shoot an incomprehensible 26-of-41 from 3-point range.
Two regular-season games remain: Friday versus the Memphis Grizzlies and Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are in sixth place. Both contests will be on the road, where L.A. is 17-21, by far the worst road record of the 10 West teams that will make either the playoffs or the play-in tourney.