The Lakers need some wins. Fast. Los Angeles is the No. 10 seed in the West — the final play-in spot — with just a one-game lead over San Antonio. Fivethirtyeight.com projects the Spurs to finish ahead of the Lakers by one game and claim that last postseason spot.
The Lakers need their stars. There’s hopeful news with one — Anthony Davis — but concerning news for LeBron James.
LeBron rolled his ankle Sunday in a loss to the Pelicans, and his movement and shooting were clearly impacted by the end of the game (he shot 2-of-8 in the fourth). After the game, LeBron said his ankle was “horrible” and had a limp.
LeBron is officially doubtful for Tuesday’s game in Dallas. The Lakers struggle on offense without LeBron — 6.1 points per 100 possessions worse — as he is their primary and, by far, best shot creator.
On the bright side for Lakers fans, Anthony Davis went through a full practice with the team Monday according to coach Frank Vogel, although he is listed as doubtful as well for Tuesday’s game. Davis has been out since mid-February with a foot sprain but has been doing on-court work and nearing a return.
The hope for the Lakers is to have both LeBron and Davis healthy for a postseason run that will start with the Lakers in the play-in and then — if they can win two games — facing the Suns in the first round. That’s a challenging road, but they will be a tough out with LeBron and Davis together, something we have only seen for 21 games this season.
If the Lakers can win enough games to make the play-in.
