Zhan Mei returned and still lost
The Los Angeles Lakers have come to the edge of the cliff, and for a team with a big three, they are now pouring out their money for a play-off spot. Anthony Davis came back, LeBron James also chose to play, and the Lakers came up with the best lineup, the strongest starting five Tigers, to meet the New Orleans Pelicans who came to challenge. Ingram and the Pelicans successfully squeezed out the ninth position in the Lakers' West, and even made the Lakers fall out of the tenth ranks of the West, so in this game, the Lakers also carried the flame of revenge.
The two teams played a very sticky game, down the field, 15 draws, the Lakers led by up to 6 points, the Pelicans led by up to 5 points, and there were 2 malicious fouls, all of which were committed on LeBron James. Bradley hit a crucial three-pointer in the final moments, but the Lakers missed too many opportunities, and finally lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 111-114, helplessly swallowing a five-game losing streak.
Each of the big three has its own play
Although the Spurs lost the game, objectively speaking, the performance of the Lakers' big three is not so bad. James blasted down 38 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and won 21 points in the third quarter to continue to defend the throne of the scoring king. A 37-year-old veteran who has played in the league for 19 seasons, to be honest, people are too demanding of James. Davis also had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in his first game of return, fighting for 36 minutes. Westbrook didn't perform well in the first three quarters, but he scored 10 points in the final quarter, with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
In terms of role players, Munch had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, but to be honest, there was a big gap with james's knife guards, JR-Smith or Chalmers. Bradley once again proved himself, scoring 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 3 steals on 4-of-5 shooting. But other than that, the Lakers have no other players to score in double figures, and the whole team has 15 turnovers, which is also the main reason for the loss. The Pelicans Twins performed well, with McCollum having 32 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Ingram having 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Pelicans completed the season sweep against the Lakers, which should be a significant thing for Ingram, after all, he was traded by the Lakers to the Pelicans, and now facing the old owner, re-proving himself, there is no better story than this.
The Lakers play-offs are hanging
After losing this game, the Lakers are one win behind the Spurs, and there are five games left for the Lakers to face the Nuggets, Suns, Warriors, Thunder and Nuggets, three of which are on the road. In these five games, the Lakers are most likely to win the Thunder, but even if the Spurs lose all the next five games, the Lakers need to win the next team in the remaining four games. Regardless of the player's rotation, without Curry's Warriors, perhaps the most promising game. Of course, James can also discuss with Paul, so that the Sun, who has locked the league number one, take a break.
In addition to their own to win, the Lakers also have to look at Popovich's face, after all, the next Spurs opponents, respectively, are the Blazers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Warriors, Lone Rangers, it is not easy to play, but the game against the Blazers, basically can be said to have no suspense. As long as this game is won, it is a 1.5-win gap, and the Lakers have 3 of the remaining 5 games to win to equal the Spurs, but in the current state of the Lakers, it is really a fantasy.
Of course, if Popovich releases water and loses all the next five games, then the Lakers may still have a glimmer of life, but the chances are still very slim.