The Lakers are in danger of being eliminated from the NBA playoffs, and that could happen on Tuesday night if two conditions are satisfied.
- A loss to the Suns (tip-off is slated for 10:30 p.m. ET).
- A Spurs win against the Nuggets (tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET).
Los Angeles has been in the danger zone for several weeks as it struggled during the latter half of the regular season, losing 13 of 16 March contests, partially due to two stars being sidelined for a significant period. Prior to Friday’s 129–118 loss to the Pelicans, LeBron James and Anthony Davis hadn’t played together since before the All-Star break. Davis had missed the previous 18 games with a mid-foot sprain, and has been absent for 39 games this season. James, meanwhile, is dealing with an injury of his own since the March 27 loss to the Pelicans.
Both played on Friday; however, Davis remained in the lineup for the next game while James sat out Sunday and will do the same on Tuesday night.
“The big picture is that it pretty much was a must-win for us, and we didn’t get the job done,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, after a critical loss Friday to the Pelicans. He scored 38 points. “We had great opportunities throughout the night, and we didn’t make enough plays down the stretch. So that’s the big picture.”
The Suns lead the Western Conference while the Spurs are in 10th with the Lakers stuck in 11th place, one spot out of the play-in tournament, and trailing San Antonio by two games heading into the Tuesday night slate. Los Angeles will have to try to snap its six-game losing streak without their leader against the best team in the league.
