On April 2, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA regular season is in full swing. In a just-concluded western focus battle, the Lakers lost to the Pelicans 111-114 at home, suffering a five-game losing streak. James and Davis both made a comeback today, with James scoring 38 points and Davis having 23 points and 12 rebounds.
After losing today, the Lakers were rushed to the first place in the Twitter hot search by fans! In three games with the Pelicans this season, the Lakers all lost and were swept by their opponents. According to statistics, this is the first time the Pelicans have swept the Lakers in the regular season since the 2017-18 season!
After the loss, the Lakers trailed the Pelicans by three wins. At present, the Lakers have 5 regular season games left, and the Pelicans have 3 games left, considering that the pelicans have the advantage of the two sides, so the Lakers have almost no hope of winning the 9th place in the West.
In addition to the difficulty of surpassing the Pelicans, the Lakers also have a one-win gap from the Spurs. And because the Spurs beat more Western teams, if the two teams end up with the same results, the Lakers will be ranked behind the Spurs, which invisibly brings trouble to the Lakers. The Spurs' last 5 games are home vs Trail Blazers, away vs Nuggets, away vs Timberwolves, home vs Warriors, and away vs. Lone Rangers. The Lakers need to play against the Nuggets (twice), the Warriors, the Suns, and the Thunder, and according to statistics, the Lakers' difficulty of the remaining schedule ranks 4th in the league!
It has to be said that it is getting harder and harder for the Lakers to qualify for the playoffs, their fate is no longer in their control, and they still need to see the face of the Spurs. The only good news for them is the comebacks of James and Davis, who did just fine today. However, they have been in the lineup for a long time, and the two shot a total of 1 of 6 in the final quarter and 0 of 2 free throws, which is also the reason why the Lakers were overturned in the final quarter, and this is enough to prove the impact of injuries on the two.