It was poor timing, no doubt, for the Lakers‘ Anthony Davis to suffer an eye injury and subsequent illness this week. Davis took a pop in the eye against the Timberwolves on Sunday in the first quarter, and left the game with the Lakers leading by four points—a game they went on to lose by 10. Davis was sick for the next game against the Warriors, who shot 58.8% against the Lakers and handed L.A. its second straight loss.
That puts the Lakers firmly in possession of the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, a spot that requires them to win two road games just to earn the No. 8 spot in the playoffs. As the L.A. Times’ Bill Plaschke wrote, No. 10 is the, “death seed. If the Lakers finish there, they’re probably finished.”
If there is good news, it is that Davis intends to play on Friday against the Grizzlies, a game the Lakers should win to set up a finale in New Orleans. As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote, “Davis is listed as probable for the Grizzlies game but plans to play, sources told ESPN.”
Anthony Davis: ‘We’re in a Great Place’
While things do, certainly, look grim for the Lakers, Davis refused to concede any negativity. The Lakers had won nine out of 10 games (a span that included a six-game road trip) before their two-game Davis-free skid, and their star big man says they can get right back to doing that again.
After all, against the Timberwolves, not only did Davis go down, but LeBron James as not playing at all.
“I think we’re in a great place,” Davis said on Friday, via a video posted by McMenamin. “I mean, the two games that we lost, I played a quarter. And then LeBron didn’t play one. So there’s nothing we can really do about that now. Our job is to focus on these next two, the game tonight and then on Sunday against New Orleans. And then just kind of see what happens, where we stand after that and then go win basketball games.
“I mean, at the end of the day, no matter where you are in the standings, you still have to win. For us, it’s about taking it one game at a time. Whether that’s 10th place, ninth place, eighth, no matter where you are. You can be the first seed, you still have to win basketball games.
“So that’s our mindset. No matter where we are, we just gotta win.”
Lakers Need Help This Weekend to Avoid Play-In
The Lakers, are currently tied with the Kings and Warriors at 45-35, and while they play two road games to close out the season, Sacramento and Golden State will be at home. The Lakers are at a disadvantage because they do not hold any tiebreakers against the Kings or Warriors, meaning they would need to pick up a full game on both teams to secure the No. 8 spot.
It is possible, but it will be made more difficult by the fact that the Warriors close with a softie at home (the Jazz) and the Kings have Portland at home in their finale.
The Warriors host the Pelicans and the Kings have the Suns in what will be pivotal games on Friday night.
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