LeBron James and company faced the Kings at home on Wednesday, with Sacramento beating LA 130-120. The Lakers were pretty well balanced after the first quarter, leading by 9 points, though things took a turn in the second. Sacramento outscored the Lakers, 44-20 in the second quarter. This was followed by a tough second half, as both teams weren’t backing down.
The Lakers were led by Rui Hachimura, who had 29 points for the night, and LeBron James, who put up 31 points, and 13 assists. A pretty dominant performance by King James, while managing his ankle injury. James left the ball game with under four minutes left in the fourth. LeBron is a pretty tough athlete when it comes to injuries. But on Wednesday, James felt the need to leave the floor early.
It’s just my ankle, it’s just what I’ve been dealing with before the break, after the break. I’m just managing the best that I can you know. I played the whole third, sat a little bit to start the fourth, and when I got back in, it kind of just… you know whatever.
James post game
LeBron and the Lakers are in a rough spot to avoid the Play-In. The Lakers are 10th in the West, as they’re trying their best to make it out of the Play-In bracket.
“It’s just my ankle, what I’ve been dealing with before the break, after the break. I’m just managing the best that I can.” LeBron James on his injury late in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/55XjyZaboQ
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 7, 2024
Will LeBron James and the Lakers make it out of the Play-In?
With the current standings, the Lakers will be facing the Warriors in the Play-In tournament. With a record of 34-30, each game matters the most moving forward. The squad led by Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the Lakers have been pretty decent in their last few games. However they’ll have to maintain this momentum or else James and company will find it hard to make it to the top six.
LeBron James (Image via Open Source/X)The Lakers made their way to the Conference Finals last year. Ever since their previous championship run, the squad has been struggling to find success in the postseason. They’ve made quite a few trades, shaping their roster, as they look to build another title run.
With a heavy postseason atmosphere in the West, James and the team have tougher teams to go up against in their remaining schedule. It will be interesting to see how they manage to finish the season with playoffs being just over a month away.
