Several days ago, the Los Angeles Lakers still had a slim chance of climbing the Western Conference standings and finishing in the top six. Such a finish would allow them to bypass the play-in tournament and make the playoffs outright.
Such a finish would also earn the team some extra rest right before the playoffs begin, something that would benefit LeBron James, who has been dealing with an ailing ankle.
But L.A. lost to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, literally ending any real shot it had at getting the sixth seed. Sacramento entered the game in seventh place two games ahead of the Lakers, making it a critical contest for the Lakers.
D’Angelo Russell said after the game that he didn’t know what was at stake in terms of the standings. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith took Russell to task as a result (h/t Lakers Daily).
“That’s embarrassing,” said Smith. “He should be ashamed of himself. And nobody else gon’ say it. I’m gon’ say it. That is inexcusable. You’re a guard on this team. We know how much of a liability you are on the defensive side of the ball. They rely on your offense. You’re not gonna always have it — I get that.
“It’s not about the points. It’s not about the lack of offensive production in those two games. It’s about the fact that you sat up there in front of a microphone with the cameras rollin’ and talkin’ about you didn’t know what was at stake.”
To make matters worse, Russell, who has been playing very well over the last two months, shot 2-of-9 and scored just six points versus the Kings. He attempted one shot and went scoreless in the decisive third quarter, a quarter in which the Kings outscored the Lakers, 28-17, and took control of the game.
The Purple and Gold are now in 10th place with a 36-32 record and are three games behind the eighth-place Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, Sacramento has clawed its way into sixth place.