Lakers Out Of Postseason Qualification After Suns Defeat
By Connor Lynch
The Los Angeles Lakers are officially out of postseason contention following Tuesday’s 121-110 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
It was a seventh consecutive defeat for the injury ravaged Lakers, their longest losing streak of the season. San Antonio’s win over Denver and New Orleans’ win over Sacramento means the Lakers cannot qualify for the play-in tournament.
With three games remaining, Los Angeles’ record stands at 31-38. It’s a far cry from the projections of the beginning of the season. In truth, the Lakers were never able to find the consistency required to challenge for the championship.
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The Big 3 of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis only played 21 games together before Tuesday. In those games, the team was 11-10. LeBron James sat out against the Suns. It was his fourth missed game in five and his 23rd for the whole season.
Anthony Davis played through the pain for his third game back after 6 weeks out, but he clearly struggled.
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These injuries, as well as a Covid outbreak in December left coach Frank Vogel unable to build any momentum. This season, a total of 24 players have played for L.A this season.
Vogel has utilized 39 different starting lineups this season, the second most in the NBA behind the Brooklyn Nets.
This marks an unofficial early start to the offseason for L.A. It’s going to be a big summer for the franchise, one in which the futures of LeBron, Vogel and Westbrook are all up for debate.
