Russell Westbrook labeled the Los Angeles Lakers' previous matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans as a “must-win.” Frank Vogel acknowledged that, instead of treating last Sunday's affair at the Smoothie King Center like any other game, the Lakers internally discussed its Play-In implications.
The Lakers blew a 23-point lead in that loss. LeBron James sprained his left ankle and hasn't played since.
On Thursday, the undermanned Lakers fought hard but were too shorthanded to compete with the Utah Jazz, falling 122-109 — their fourth straight defeat.
Now, five days after the debacle in New Orleans, the Lakers are facing another critical clash with the Pelicans — this time in Los Angeles, on the second leg of a back-to-back, with the stakes even higher. The biggest difference, though, is the expected presence of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“We gotta get on the plane as quickly as we can, get our guys home, get rested,” Vogel said postgame in Utah. “And come ready to get a win tomorrow.”
In no uncertain terms, Friday's showdown at Crypto.com Arena is the Lakers' most important game of the season, full-stop. Here's why.
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1) Standings
Following their defeat in Salt Lake City, the Lakers are now 0.5 games below the San Antonio Spurs for the final Play-In spot (the Spurs own the tiebreaker). The Pelicans are 2.5 games up on the Lakers, with the tiebreaker on their side.
“You can't worry about the games you already played,” Trevor Ariza said after the Jazz loss. “That's not going to do anything for you.”
Westbrook didn't label this Pelicans matchup as a “must-win”, but he didn't reject that implication in a reporter's question.
“It’s self-explanatory,” Russ said, about the necessity for the Lakers to win Friday's rematch.
2) Schedule
The Spurs — not tanking, and perpetually motivated to thwart Lakers' success — won't enjoy a cake-walk remaining slate, but its far more favorable than the Lakers' schedule, specifically because it features two upcoming games, in San Antonio, against the tanking Portland Trail Blazers (Friday and Sunday).
Besides a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder (who have beaten the Lakers twice this season) on the second leg of a back-to-back, the Lakers will face exclusively playoff teams down the stretch.
To make matters more complicated, the Lakers will have to play again on Sunday afternoon — at 12:30 PT — a scheduling quirk that Vogel complained about.
3) LeBron, AD, and the last vestiges of belief
April Fools shenanigans notwithstanding, there is hope that LeBron will give his ginger ankle (and weary knee on the same leg) a go on Friday. LeBron skipped the Utah portion of the road trip to fly home early and get extra treatment. (Notably, he's three games away from being eligible to become the oldest player in NBA history to win a scoring title.)
Davis, too, is expected to return from an 18-game absence. The Lakers are 4-14 since he sprained his mid-foot on Feb. 16. AD returned to practice earlier this week.
“He’s been working extremely hard and he wants to get back as quickly as possible,” Vogel said. “That’s the energy that we’ve felt from Anthony in terms of once getting cleared and passing certain hurdles. And then, obviously, ramping up his work, letting the increased workload recover and see how it responds. And he’s shown a great urgency to try to get back on the floor.”
“It’s up to the medical team,” Vogel added. “If there’s any chance guys can be out there, they will be.”
One would expect AD to need a few games to find a groove. However, the last time he returned from a lengthy hiatus, in late January, he was instantly dominant. In his first five games back, he averaged 29.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, and 1.8 steals. He resembled Bubble AD.
Two months later, the Lakers, by Vogel's own admission, are running out of time. They'll need AD and LeBron to instantly perform like superstars, a la Paul George in his heroic return from a lengthy elbow injury.
“I think when any player is out for this amount of time, it usually takes some time for them to catch a rhythm,” Vogel said. “Obviously, we saw what Paul George did the other night. I think when something like that happens, it can be the exception. It also can be a first-game energy that you don’t necessarily have when you start dealing with game-to-game soreness.”
“So Anthony’s going to be facing all of these things, and hopefully we can get as much out of him as we can.”
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook have shared the floor for just 20 games. The Lakers are 11-9 in those contests. They're hoping Westbrook can continue his recent strong play — 22.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.0 assists, .521/.394/.667 shooting splits over the past seven games — and remain in attack mode alongside LeBron and AD.
“I think each month throughout the course of this season, he’s gotten a little bit better and a little bit more comfortable in our system with these teammates,” Vogel said about Westbrook, after the guard put forth another solid outing in Utah. “We’ve got a brand new group with each other, and I think he’s used that time to settle in. I think he’s slowing down, I think he’s taking better shots, and as a result, his efficiency is going up. If we get LeBron and AD back with Russ playing this way, that’s a positive sign for us.”
Another Lakers loss to those pesky Pelicans — or an unsuccessful weekend in general, including a loss to the Denver Nuggets and expected Spurs triumphs — would mark the final nail in the coffin for this Lakers group, and not just in the standings. If LeBron and AD compete together for the first time in a month, yet the Lakers still find themselves farther from the Play-In zone after the weekend than before, with four games left … then what?
“That’s the last time we had Bron and AD together,” Vogel said. “I think there was some momentum building around that point of our season. But obviously, the carpet gets swept out from under us with that catastrophic injury (to AD). And we’ve been struggling to find footing ever since.”
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