Top Takeaways from Lakers' Loss to Spurs with LeBron James Out Injured
The Los Angeles Lakers went into Monday night's tilt with the San Antonio Spurs shorthanded. It's been an unfortunately running theme for the Purple and Gold this NBA season.
But once it was announced that LeBron James (knee) would join Anthony Davis (foot) on the sideline, the Lakers appeared to have an uphill climb ahead of them—even against a Spurs team currently positioned to participate in the draft lottery.
That's how it played out, too. The Spurs scored six of the game's first seven points and never looked back. They had a nine-point lead after the first quarter, a 14-point advantage midway through the second and ultimately a 117-110 victory.
Dejounte Murray led all scorers with 26 points and finished two assists shy of a triple-double (10 rebounds, eight assists). Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson scored 18 points apiece on their combined 22 field-goal attempts. The Spurs shot 54.8 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from range, giving them a big enough cushion to survive a rough night at the free-throw line (16-of-30).
Talen Horton-Tucker paced the Lakers with 18 points, while Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points each. The Lakers' starters shot just 3-of-15 from distance with Monk (1-of-7) and Horton-Tucker (1-of-5) the biggest offenders.
This Needed to Be a Russell Westbrook Game
1 of 2
If you subscribed to the theory that L.A.'s offseason trade for Westbrook give this team a Big Three, then the Lakers shouldn't have been dead in the water on Monday.
L.A. still ostensibly had one of its stars—provided Westbrook still fit that label.
He managed to provide some positives. He led the Lakers with 10 rebounds and was one of their only two players to post a positive plus/minus (undrafted rookie Austin Reaves was the other).
But, as has often been the case with Westbrook this season, there was more give than take. He misfired on nine of his 14 field-goal attempts and both of his long-range looks. He even went a dismal 7-of-13 on free throws. He nearly matched his six assists with five turnovers and committed five turnovers.
This roster can't work with this version of Westbrook.
The Lakers built themselves to be top-heavy. Beyond Westbrook, Davis and James, their only players making more than minimum money are Horton-Tucker, who has disappointed all season, and Kendrick Nunn, who has yet to debut due to a nagging knee injury.
With Davis failing to shake the injury bug, and James perhaps feeling the effects of logging major minutes in his age-37 season, Westbrook could easily find himself serving as lone wolf again. If he can't deliver in these moments, the Lakers will be hopeless without their top two stars.
The Lakers Are in Danger of Falling out of the Play-In Tournament
2 of 2
This was supposed to be a championship-or-bust season in L.A.
The ceiling has fallen so far at this point, though, that it's now a Play-In-or-bust situation.
That's a brutal reality for a team that had such sky-high hopes. It's a basketball tragedy for this to be taking place during James' age-37 season, particularly when he is still playing at such a high level.
And yet, here we are.
The Lakers have zero chance of climbing above the No. 7 spot. They are 9.5 games back of the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets and fading so fast—2-8 over their last 10 games—that the biggest worry is now simply securing a Play-In invitation.
The Lakers have a tiny bit of breathing room on that front. They are seeded ninth, meaning they would need to fall two spots to miss out on the tournament. Having said that, though, they are only a game up on the 10th-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, three games ahead of the 11th-seeded New Orleans Pelicans and 3.5 games in front of these same Spurs.
Still, that cushion slips with each defeat. The Lakers, who face the Association's toughest remaining schedule (per Tankathon.com), could face a nightmare scenario if they let too many more of these winnable games get away.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
