The Los Angeles Lakers have entered the final stretch of their season without their leader, LeBron James, and his injury has thrown a wrench into their hopes of making the play-in tournament. With James sidelined, the Lakers must rely on the other members of their star-studded lineup to pick up the slack—and that includes forward Anthony Davis.
Davis stepped into the spotlight on Friday night in the Lakers’ 110-102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with 38 points, five rebounds, and six turnovers. While Davis did all he could to keep the Lakers in the game, it was the Timberwolves’ Michael Conley who stole the show.
Conley scored a clutch three-pointer and a right-handed floater late in the fourth quarter to help the Timberwolves hold off a Lakers rally and secure the win. The Timberwolves (33-32) are now in the seventh spot in the Western Conference, while the Lakers (30-34) remain in the 11th spot, one game behind the New Orleans Pelicans.
Davis is aware of the importance of this stretch of games for the Lakers, and he knows they must take care of their own business if they are going to make the playoffs. “At the end of the day, the standings are what they are,” Davis said. “We gotta get back to what we gotta do, control what we can control, and that’s win basketball games.”
The Lakers will have to continue to press on without James, who is expected to be reevaluated in three weeks. The Lakers are also awaiting the return of D’Angelo Russell, who has missed the last four games with a right ankle sprain.
While the Lakers will miss the playmaking of Russell, the rest of the Lakers must step up in his absence. Davis has already done his part, and the rest of the team must follow suit if the Lakers are going to make the playoffs. It won’t be easy, but the Lakers are determined to make it happen.
