A game that began at 3:30 a.m. Beijing time today, the 11th Lakers in the West played against the 5th Nuggets in the West. James couldn't play because his left ankle hurt so badly.
In the end, the Lakers 118-129 Nuggets, thick eyebrows 28 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, Westbrook 27 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, Munch 11 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, Bradley 10 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, Howard 8 points and 7 rebounds, Anthony 17 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, Tucker 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Johnny 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, Augustine 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, Gabriel 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist.
After this loss, the Lakers suffered their longest six-game losing streak of the season. With the Lakers losing to the Nuggets today, the Spurs won the Blazers again, and the gap between the Lakers and the Spurs widened to two wins. The Lakers' next four games against the Suns, Warriors, Thunder and Nuggets are. The Spurs' opponents are the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Warriors and Lone Rangers.
As long as the Spurs win 2 of those 4 games, then the Lakers will be sure not to qualify for the playoffs. Now the Lakers are in a completely passive position, not only to win at least 3 of the 4 games themselves, but also to expect the Spurs to win only 1 of the 4 games.
The bad news about the Lakers is that James is unlikely to play in the next game. According to ESPN Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin, a person close to James who knows james's situation revealed that James's ankle is unlikely to turn well to let him play in the next game against the Suns. But the situation may unexpectedly improve in the next 48 hours, and James' appearance is still in doubt, and it will not be decided whether to play until before the game.
This season, James has had two injuries that have been affecting his competitive form and attendance, namely a knee injury and an ankle injury. Currently, James is averaging 30.3 points per game, topping the league.com. It was followed by Embiid's 30.2 and Alphabet Brother's 30.1. James needs to play at least 2 of the next four games to meet the attendance criteria and try to be the top scorer this season.
In the past five games, James has averaged 37.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Every victory the Lakers now is extremely difficult, and it seems that it will take 37-year-old James to cut down 50+. Poor signings in the offseason, intermittent injuries to players, and inefficient platooning combine to waste the last peak of 37-year-old James this season.
When asked if the Lakers can win the championship if they keep all the staff healthy this season. The thick eyebrows after today's game gave affirmation. He said: "Absolutely, absolutely. I think we could have performed extremely well, but what would have been our situation if we had stayed healthy all year? ”
"Russ started getting into his form, LeBron clearly led the league's scoring list and I started to find the rhythm, who knows? We don't know. But all we can do is keep fighting for the last 4 games. ”
"The whole world wants to see us lose, but we will continue to fight. All the players have put in training and hard work, and the problem now is to try to get over that hurdle. Hopefully, our teammates, LeBron, will return to the squad and we'll play the last 4 games and see what happens. ”
We want to know what will happen to the Lakers at that time. If James is still injured, there is no point in going into the playoffs. Running into a whole season, although James has only played 21 games together, it is now the final knuckle of the regular season that we have seen a hint of tacit understanding of the Big Three. Even if James remains healthy and the Lakers successfully enter the playoffs, how far can they go?
Look at it buddhistly. To be in the playoffs is, of course, a surprise. If not, accept it. Health is the first, I hope that next season's 38-year-old James can continue this season's competitive state.