In one of the lowest moments of this Lakers On the season, the ball bounced across the court to a point behind the three-point line just above the left elbow and Andrew Nimbard’s leadoff hit the game-winning touchdown.
It was November 28th, and it was a game the Lakers wanted to forget.
They will think about it now.
“It’s like Indiana all over again,” frustrated Darvin Hamm He said.
With a chance to gain valuable ground in the Western Conference playoff race, the Lakers once again saw themselves beaten three seconds by two from this very spot – this with Maxi Clipper Friday night fire delivery.
“At the very least, it’s obnoxious.” Austin Reeves He said.
the 111-110 loss Friday would have been miserable enough on its own, but with the team in Houston just losing Anthony Davis is out for precautionary reasons Because of his foot injury earlier this year, the Lakers are officially moving in the wrong direction.
It’s the first time the Lakers have lost consecutive games in over a month.
“If you don’t care about losing really meaningful games, what’s the point of playing?” Reeves said.
The Lakers have been clear about their strategy over the past month, prioritizing health over standings. With no strings attached, and no consecutive games to turn anyone away, Friday, the Lakers had a chance.
The Mavericks played a team with only one game in front of them arrangement Going into Friday’s game, the Lakers had their chance to make a real move. Minnesota, Golden State, New Orleans and Portland all lostgiving the team a valuable opportunity to gain ground.
They didn’t take it.
After trailing by as many as 14, the Lakers fought back to lead by five in the fourth before the Mavericks came back.
Three free throws by Clipper (after a foul on three by Davis) made it a one-point game in the final minute.
Davis then split two free throws to give the Mavericks a chance to win or tie the game.
There would be no overtime, the Lakers forced the ball out Kyrie Irvinghand to hand, but Clipper stepped in and caught the shot as the horn sounded.
Davis finished with 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and five other Lakers scored at least 10 on a night when Irving and the Mavericks badly outscored the team from the three-point line.
Dallas hit 11 more triples than the Lakers, who also missed 12 free throws to only four for the Mavericks, who were without them. Luka Doncic.
Irving scored 38 to lead Dallas.
After the loss, which moved the Lakers to the lowest lead in the final playoff spot ahead of Utah, the Lakers said they needed to play like a team that needed them all.
But with the limitation of whether Davis can play back-to-back, this is clearly difficult to implement.
This strategy has a cost — and teams around the Western Conference seem willing to pay.
By emphasizing potential postseason health rather than regular season victories, teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Mavericks could potentially sacrifice crucial games in a playoff race.
It’s not completely off the radar. friday shoot, Dennis Schroeder He told reporters he had his eyes set on one specific place — outside the tournament.
“I think as a group right now, I think the chemistry is in a perfect place,” said Schroeder. “Like I said, we just have to try and get the No. 6 seed, that’s our goal and desire. Then go from there.”
However, the No. 6 seed would open the road playoffs.
Hamm, who brings more than 25 years of experience in the NBA as a player and coach, has seen a shift toward health that has become the most important thing for teams as they head into the postseason.
“I don’t think he’s completely changed, but I think health takes precedence [seeding],” Hamm said before Friday’s game. “…And in qualifying, I don’t want to say it’s overdone, but you’re going to have to win on the road at some point in order to be world champion, so you just have to be solid and healthy and confident and play with a good rhythm .
“And no matter where you play, you give yourself a chance. But just having home court, I’ve seen teams many times, many, many seasons have the home court advantage and it doesn’t matter, because they gave up those home games.”
However, history says that teams that have to fight uphill in the playoffs are in a very difficult situation.
The 1995 Houston Rockets are the lowest ranked team to win the title after starting those playoffs ranked sixth in the West.
The 1999 New York Knicks reached the Finals as the eighth seed in a shorter season.
The Lakers’ rank hopes are not individually related to whether or not Davis is on the court in back-to-back games (the Lakers play the Jazz and Clippers in the last back-to-back game of the year).
LeBron James continues to progress, with Schroeder saying he’s seen James go through multiple daily workouts in an effort to come back.
Getting it back over time on the clock would be a huge boost.
Prior to the game, Hamm warned that the team should look at the standings or set specific win/loss goals for their last 12 games.
“Each game is its own entity, and we need to treat it that way,” Hamm said. “We make sure we get as high as we can and every day we make sure we get as good as we can while still trying to hit our target. But you just have to take them one at a time.
“We can’t get overwhelmed as we have 12 left and we have to get to that number [of wins], and you start to overlook things. Our priority was to stay in the moment and take them one by one.”
Friday, however, it was the Mavericks who took it.
This story originally appeared Los Angeles Times.
