The Los Angeles Lakers lost an important game to their city rivals Los Angeles Clippers last night. The gravity of the game was high as the direct qualification to the playoffs was on the line. There were many factors to blame LA for to point out, but the major one remains their travel for back-to-back games in two days. Even the best of the best players get tired when they have to play another big game in the next 24 hours. Therefore the Lakers seemed lethargic last night on the court against the Clippers.
The Lakers had a crazy, extensive, and intense game against the Utah Jazz the night before they played the Clippers. Therefore the players lacked recovery and played a slow and sluggish game. But the Clippers, on the other hand, had four days off before entering back into action. This is a bit fell a little unfair on the Lakers, but this is something every team has to endure in their schedule. The Lakers were just unlucky that their back-to-back games fell in at such a crucial time of the season. Coach Darvin Ham explained more about how the traveling and bad luck cost them the sixth position last night.
Darvin Ham Highlights Scheduling Issues In the Last Few Weeks
Traveling and meeting tight schedules is something that every team has to do in their league schedule. But the Lakers encountered a series of bad weather when they traveled to Minnesota and Utah. Traveling is something that the players are used to, but bad weather while traveling takes a toll on the athlete’s body. After the game, Ham said, “Our guys weathered all of that” He also mentioned that he was one of them while traveling, so he knows how the players felt.
Moreover, Ham addressed the effort of their staff to keep the players in good shape even in such conditions. But in some sense, it is the team’s own fault when they did not take the earlier parts of the season seriously enough. And now all the pressure has boiled down on the last two games left in their hands.
LeBron James’s Promising Words For Lakers’ Team
The 38-year-old had a slow start to the game but soon picked up the pace. On the night, he scored 33 big points for the Lakers but could not help them cross the winning boundary. In the postgame interview, LeBron James said, “This is one of those scheduling conflicts in the season,” pointing out their back-to-back games. Moreover, he said they made the best out of the game with very less recovery in 24 hours.
Although the lost game puts them in the seventh seed in the Western Conference, they still can play in playoffs. But in order to avoid a play-in tournament, they need to depend on the result of the Golden State Warriors and the Clippers. If they make a slip in one of their last two games, the Lakers could seize the opportunity.