LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers were tasked with taking on the Los Angeles Clippers in the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday night.
It came one day after Los Angeles defeated the Utah Jazz on the road in Salt Lake City. For a veteran-laded squad with stars such as LeBron and Anthony Davis not accustomed to playing back-to-backs, this was going to be a tough task.
Tied with a 41-38 record heading into the game, the Clippers started out strong against their Southern California rivals by opening up a double-digit first-quarter lead.
While the Lakers would show some fight throughout, the 125-118 loss set this team back in the Western Conference Playoff race. It also represented the Lakers’ 11th consecutive loss to their co-tenants. After the game, James seemed to blame the NBA schedule for their loss.
“It’s one of the toughest games we’ve had this year. Coming off the road trip and getting back late last night, after an overtime game … this was one of those scheduling conflicts in the season and definitely got the best of us tonight.”
LeBron James after the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss Wednesday night.
In a vacuum, LeBron is not wrong. The Lakers were finishing up shop on a five-game, eight-day road trip while the Clippers had not suited up since Saturday in New Orleans. Moreover, the Lakers did not return home from Utah until the early morning hours on Wednesday due to a snow storm in Salt Lake.
Any team would have a difficult time in these circumstances. Add in an overtime game the previous night, and that’s magnified further.
“It’s just a real human thing, man. The circumstances weren’t used as a crutch. They were just real. The real NBA schedule. Everybody goes through it at some point in their schedule in each and every year,” Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said. “So it’s human nature. So, it is what it is, but I’m just proud of the way we competed despite all of that.”
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LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers still in the thick of it
The Lakers entered Wednesday night’s game having won four consecutive games. In fact, they were 12-5 in their previous 17 games since the start of March.
Following the loss, Los Angeles finds itself at 41-39 and as the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
It is a mere one game behind the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors for the sixth seed, a spot that would avoid the dreaded Play-In Tournament. Los Angeles also holds the tiebreaker against Golden State by virtue of winning the season series. All the while, King James continues to play at a high level after returning from a lengthy absence.
- LeBron James stats (past six games): 25.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.2 APG, 51% shooting
Los Angeles will close up shop on the regular season with two home games against conference rivals. That starts against the Phoenix Suns Friday night and concludes Easter Sunday against the Utah Jazz.
The team can find itself as high as the No. 5 seed, setting up a first-round matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
Currently locked in to at least a spot in the Play-In Tournament, the Lakers would take on the New Orleans Pelicans if the season ended today. For King James, it matters little how all of this plays out.
“It is what it is. Wherever we end up, that’s where we end up. It’s been like four or five seasons in one for us. We don’t have the luxury of saying, ‘This is what we need to do. This is where we’re gonna be.’ We need to still continue to play good basketball. … We’ll see. Wherever we fall, we’ll be ready to go.”
LeBron James on Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff situation.
At the very least, LeBron and his Lakers don’t have to worry about back-to-backs anymore this season. Based on what we saw Wednesday evening in Southern California, that’s no small thing.
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