The Lakers have come a long way to find themselves up there in the top ten of the Western Conference. The team did not have a great start in the season, but they are making up for it. The Lakers found the balance that was missing before the February trade. But again, they suffered a lot of injuries that really messed up their campaign this season. Then Anthony Davis turned things around in a gap of a couple of games. As a result, the Lakers are at the 9th seed. Clearly, they would like to climb higher to get to the playoff stage. However, the Lakers are only left with 15 games in hand to confirm their entry into the postseason stage.
Hence every game will be vital for the squad. They cannot afford to lose much and are in a dire need of a streak. Tonight the Lakers face the Pelicans in a crucial clash. They will need to win and cannot let any factor come their way. It looks like the lineup will remain more or less the same as in the last couple of games. D’Angelo Russell came back with a bang scoring 28 points against the Raptors and followed it by 33 points against the Knicks for a losing cause.
Los Angeles Lakers Injury Status Against Pelicans!
Unfortunately, the man who is supposed to lead them from the front, Anthony Davis, has lost his incredible touch after a magical couple of games. In the previous two matches, Russell looked like the best of the Lakers lineup. Vanderbilt, Beasley, and Hachimura must be in the lineup, as they proved quite valuable. The other player who will be vital in the Lakers lineup is Austin Reaves. Reaves has been in good touch lately. So has Dennis Schroder been. These players will be key to the success of the Lakers in the remaining games. But the team will need Anthony Davis to get back in his form. After the last match against the Knicks, AD took full responsibility for the team’s loss. Albeit, Russell was incredible.
AD on why the Lakers lost tonight: "My play. I played terrible. … The guys did their job. I didn't do my job tonight."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) March 13, 2023
On the other hand, there are a couple of key players who won’t be in the lineup as usual. Mo Bamba and LeBron James both are out with injuries in their feet. Bamba sprained his ankle, and James hurt the tendon in his right foot. As per the reports, LeBron James will be re-evaluated after a couple of weeks and will most probably miss the rest of the regular season games. If the Lakers lineup without Bamba and James makes the postseason, then they will have a big role to play from there on.
But the Lakers will have to win as many as they can out of the remaining games. The games against the Suns, the Clippers, and the Timberwolves will be very challenging. These three teams are above the .500 record, unlike the Lakers. But the Pelicans are a team with the same win-loss ratio. The Lakers should just go at them for a win. They cannot afford to miss these comparatively easy games.
