Top Takeaways from LeBron James, Lakers Loss vs. Pelicans

The Los Angeles Lakers slipped closer to the Western Conference playoff cut line on Sunday night. 

The Lakers dropped a 115-108 game to the New Orleans Pelicans, who moved ahead of them by a half-game in the standings. 

LeBron James and Co. have eight games to fend off a challenge from the San Antonio Spurs to land in the play-in round of the postseason. San Antonio is one full game back of the Lakers going into Monday. 

Holding on to a play-in spot may be difficult for the Lakers if James is not at 100 percent. The superstar suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game. 

The Lakers have not received a ton of consistency from their supporting cast, with the exception of Malik Monk, lately. 

Monk produced another 20-point performance Sunday. He and James were the only Lakers over 20 points. The two players and Russell Westbrook were the only Lakers in double figures. 

James' status for Tuesday's road clash with the Dallas Mavericks will be confirmed in the coming hours, and if he misses even one game, the Lakers' playoff quest could end with the team beneath the No. 10 seed. 

LeBron James' Ankle Injury Could Be a Major Concern

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

LeBron James played the second half of Sunday's game with pain in his leg from a turned ankle he suffered in the first half. 

James went into detail about the pain he was suffering after the loss, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.

"I mean, from the time I turned my ankle I felt a sharp pain run up my leg. It started getting hot. And I've been there before with ankle sprains before," James said. "But I didn't want to come out of the game because I understood [the importance]. I mean, I just wanted to win the game. I understood how big of a game it was for us."

James can still play in the final eight games with an ankle injury, but the knock may affect the team's overall performance.

James is doing everything in his power to propel the Lakers into the postseason. He has four consecutive games with 35 or more points, and he is averaging 34.3 points per game in March. 

The pain could affect him in certain stretches, and that may force some of the other players on the floor to step up and score, which is something the Lakers have not been able to rely on for parts of the season. 

Lakers Need More Consistent Scoring Depth

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The Lakers are flawed beyond James' scoring production.

Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook are the No. 2 and No. 3 scorers right now, and there is a drop-off between the top three and the rest of the team.

James, Monk and Westbrook combined for 80 of the team's 108 points against the Pelicans on Sunday. No other player had more than eight points. 

That was a stark contrast from Friday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in which four players reached the 20-point mark, including Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony. 

Howard's 24-point game Friday was an outlier to his overall scoring trend. He is averaging 6.7 points per game in March. 

Anthony scored three points Sunday and totaled five points in Monday's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Those numbers are unacceptable when the Lakers go up against a deep squad of scorers in the postseason. 

Los Angeles could have defeated the Pelicans on Sunday if one of the other players even scored around 15 points. 

The inconsistency in scoring depth could continue to hurt the Lakers as they embark on a tough eight-game stretch to close the regular season that features five road games. 

Lakers Could Be Out of 10th Place by End of Week

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

The Lakers needed to beat the Pelicans to remain in ninth place in the West and to gain a confidence boost within the squad near end of a troubling season. 

Los Angeles dropped to 10th place with the defeat, and it could finish the next seven days outside of the play-in round spots. 

The Lakers visit the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz before coming home to face the Pelicans on Friday night. The schedule does not get easier with the Denver Nuggets at home on Sunday. 

San Antonio can make up ground on the Lakers with one of the easiest schedules of the week. The Spurs visit the Houston Rockets on Monday and play back-to-back home contests against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and Sunday. 

Houston will likely finish with the worst record in the NBA, and Portland waived the white flag on its season when it started resting Josh Hart over the last few weeks. 

The Spurs could also beat the Memphis Grizzlies at home Wednesday if they turn in a perfect performance. 

Sunday's loss in New Orleans may have started a multiple-game swing in the fight for the No. 10 seed, and it might not be one the Lakers can recover from.