LeBron James and Anthony Davis back in the starting line-up couldn’t get the Lakers a must-win game, the duo failed at a crucial time.
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No one would want to be a Lakers fan at this point, and whoever are the die-hard fans must have found their rocks to hide under. The Saturday night game officially confirmed that the Purple and Gold team wouldn’t be able to do anything in the Playoffs or Play-ins if they even reach there, with Anthony Davis on board.
The former Pelicans big man who missed 39 games in the season made a comeback in a crucial game on Friday. Before this game, the Lakers had managed to win just 14 games without AD. That tells you the desperation with which they needed him back.
And although the 8-time All-Star had an above-average game on his return, he couldn’t pull LeBron James and Co out of their misery. Their King, very much like the most part of the season, was unable to lead them to a victory either.
The duo had a superb game if you look at the stat sheet but they had a disastrous end to the game which resulted in a 3-point loss. And fans and experts are aghast that the Lakers’ season is ending this early, even without making it to the Play-ins.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis go under NBA Twitter’s wrath as they fail to bring the Lakers a crucial victory home
Don’t let the stat sheet fool you from the fact that the Lakers’ duo that combined for 61 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals did this in the last 5-minutes of the game.
James, who air-balled the crucial 3-point shot to tie the game, at the end of regulation, had his usual 38 points with a “-2” plus-minus, and as the Lakers lost their 46th game of the season to go a game behind the Spurs good for 11th in the West. NBA Twitter exploded on him and AD.
There were some who pointed out that the superstar duo who throughout the season hid behind Russell Westbrook’s criticism were outscored by him in the final quarter. They really did. While AD and Bron combined for a mere 7-points in the final quarter Russ had 10 alone to keep the Lakers in the game.
Whether they make it to the Play-ins or not, we’ll see shortly in a few days, but it is sure that the team is not making it to the Playoffs. Winning the Play-in games with the basketball they are playing currently would be impossible.
