LOS ANGELES — There changed into no denial, no hope, no fury, no sadness. The Los Angeles Lakers, beset by way of injuries and slipping down the Western Conference standings by the day, have general their fate.
The blank expressions and empty cliches had been out under complete pressure after LeBron James and Co. were misplaced for the 5th time in six games Monday, falling to the crosstown Clippers, 113 and 105. Talk of a playoff push, all the rage as recently as ten days ago, all but evaporated, with the Lakers losing to five. Five video games out of the 8th seed with 18 games to play. The essential projection fashions now give the Lakers much less than a one percent risk to make the postseason; the eye test gives them no chance. This is a lottery crew, and the Lakers understand it.
“You keep gambling to the end and notice what happens,” James said flatly. “Everyone has been talking approximately the postseason. However, we need to fear approximately every recreation and how we can get higher with our crew. At the top of the year, the chips will fall where they may.” Already reeling after an inexcusable loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, the Lakers misplaced Brandon Ingram to shoulder soreness Monday morning and Kyle Kuzma to an ankle injury Monday night. With Lonzo Ball and Lance Stephenson already in street clothes, the depleted Lakers stumbled to the finish line against the more in-depth and extra cohesive Clippers.
“The accidents are taking a toll on us,” James said. “I haven’t been part of a season with this many accidents to all of our key guys. Big, huge key men. That’s simply the way this season has been. We prided ourselves on our intensity at the start of the season, but glaringly, our intensity has diminished over the previous few weeks.” Barring a miracle, James, who made the Finals in every eight seasons, will leave out the postseason for the first time since 2004-05, his second season. The Lakers are on target to overlook the playoffs for the 6th straight time, the longest drought in the franchise’s 71-12 months history.
James played forty-two minutes on Monday, just one off his season high. However, the Lakers noticed their high-quality risk to opposite their past due-season downward momentum disappear one bricked 3-pointer at a time. Indeed, the league’s 0.33-worst out of doors shooting group died because it had lived, taking pictures just 10 for 38 from past the arc and drawing scattered boos and chants of “We want Kobe!” from the Staples Center crowd.
