The Los Angeles Lakers blew a chance to finally go .500 on the season after losing to the Houston Rockets with Anthony Davis on the bench.
AD wasn’t injured and wanted to play in the game but was forcefully held out by the coaching staff. He looked distraught on the bench after seeing the Lakers fall to 35-37 on the season.
AD
by u/BigBonesMilk in lakers
The decision to bench Davis was extremely puzzling, especially when the star himself said he was good to play. Even with valid concerns around his health, there is no reason why the Lakers couldn’t have played him on a minutes restriction to pick up what could’ve been an easy win with AD in the lineup.
Davis’ frustrations are legitimate, as the Lakers face a tough fixture against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. A loss to a direct play-in rival could end up being very costly, especially if LeBron James spends another week on the injury list.
Can The Lakers Sneak Into The Playoffs?
The Lakers going 1-2 in their last 3 games is not ideal. After a strong start by the post-trade deadline Lakers, the reality is setting in slowly. They are still just 2.5 games behind the Clippers in 6th place, but it’ll be a challenge making that up in their next 12 games. Thankfully, they do face the Clippers in a crucial matchup on April 5.
They have some challenging games in their final 12 this season, facing the Phoenix Suns twice in addition to the games against the Mavs and the Clippers. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves will also be on their fixture list for more matchups with huge playoff implications for the Lakers.
Games against the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets will be crucial. They also face the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls, which makes their schedule look a little simpler. The Lakers will likely cement a playoff spot, but depending on when LeBron James comes back, top-6 may be a stretch too far this late in the season. They’d arguably be the favorites to make it to the playoffs from the play-in tournament.
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