LOS ANGELES — The Lakers have long contended that as long as they’re healthy together, they can compete.
On Friday night, the band was finally back together: LeBron James was tossing chalk dust in the air. Anthony Davis was leaping into the team huddle after introductions. The Big Three with Russell Westbrook got to play in concert for the first time in a month and a half.
But even fully assembled, the Lakers (31-45) couldn’t stop their slide – and the latest defeat, a 114-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, was a game they couldn’t afford to lose.
“The big picture is that it pretty much was a must-win for us,” James said. “And we didn’t get the job done.”
The Lakers missed six of their last eight attempts from the field, as the Pelicans surged late. The last Laker miss, an airball by James from his favorite spot from behind the 3-point arc, was a gut-punch to a shambling team that tried to gather itself for one final push with all of their key players.
James scored 38 points in his return from a sprained left ankle, and Davis added 23 points and 12 rebounds. Westbrook had a tough shooting night (5 for 15), but two critical 3-pointers kept the Lakers in it late in a game that was tight throughout.
But C.J. McCollum (32 points) and Brandon Ingram (29 points) kept the ninth-place Pelicans in the mix until late, and when the Lakers went cold, they surged. Ingram gave his team the lead on a jumper, and McCollum sealed the result with a pair of free throws with less than 10 seconds left.
Sending McCollum to the line was a tactical mistake: The Lakers screamed at Stanley Johnson to foul rookie Trey Murphy III on the Pelicans’ last possession, but Johnson simply defended, allowing New Orleans to get the ball to its most experienced shooter.
The Lakers bemoaned some late calls that didn’t go their way, including two times Westbrook got to the rim but contact wasn’t called – especially a missed connection when Malik Monk tried to deliver him an alley-oop. But other shots they got, they simply had to swallow: For all the fanfare of James’ and Davis’ return, the duo was just 2 for 9 from the field in the fourth quarter with six points.
“It’s just like, when it rains, it pours for our year,” James said. “It’s just the way it’s been going.”
Injuries have been one of the biggest factors keeping the Lakers off-balance: James, Davis and Westbrook have still only played together in 22 games this season. But at the moment, it doesn’t look like they’ll play more than the final five of the regular season.
The San Antonio Spurs kept the pressure on the Lakers, winning the first of their back-to-back games against the tanking Portland Trail Blazers, 130-111. The Spurs own the tiebreaker, so the Lakers must finish ahead of them in the standings – a proposition made tougher by upcoming games against Denver, Phoenix and Golden State in the next week.
“It’s going to be tough to catch this team, obviously, now with the lead they have and the tiebreaker,” Coach Frank Vogel said. “But we have plenty of time to win as many games as we can down the stretch and we’ll see what happens with San Antonio.”
James was surprisingly spry after a sprained ankle that he said “felt horrible” just five nights before and seemed to be stiff during his pre-game warm-ups. But the NBA’s scoring leader showcased some early burst on a transition dunk, out-running Herb Jones to the rim.
His best period came in the third quarter, when he was 6 for 10 from the field and scored 21 points – the only time all season a Laker has scored more than 20 points in any quarter.
Making a comeback from an 18-game layoff, Davis started his night tentatively. While he dished off to teammates for three assists in his first shift, he also shot just 1 for 3 from the field. The Lakers started big with Dwight Howard at center, in part to keep Davis from the physicality of banging with Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas.
But as the evening pressed on, Davis gravitated toward the rim, giving the Lakers an inside scoring presence they’ve been missing since he got hurt just before the All-Star Break. Davis was critical down the stretch by attacking Valanciunas off the dribble, leaping into a layup and getting to the foul line in quick succession after the Pelicans cut the Lakers’ lead to one point.
Both stars can’t be fully assured to participate on Sunday, when the Lakers will have to face the Denver Nuggets with a midday tip-off. That adds uncertainty for Davis’ foot and James’ ankle, both of which are still sore and caused the stars to walk with a slight limp as they left through the arena tunnels.
The Lakers are looking destined to miss the postseason. But James still said he’s holding out hope, as thin as it might be.
“Until that moment, we’ll know what our destiny is, but right now, we don’t,” he said. “So keep pushing forward.”
“It was pretty much a must-win (game) for us, and we didn’t get the job done.” @KingJames on the big picture after tonight’s loss. pic.twitter.com/IseFhoWBqo
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 2, 2022
“Win as many games as we can down the stretch, then we’ll see what happens with San Antonio.” Frank Vogel on the Lakers mindset for the final five games. pic.twitter.com/qQblJsw5uD
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 2, 2022
“Got to move on and get ready for the next one, it’s a quick turnaround.” @russwest44 on how the #Lakers are taking tonight’s loss. pic.twitter.com/6hBooabpfn
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 2, 2022
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