The Los Angeles Lakers made sure not to fall in the looming trap game that they had against the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray-less Denver Nuggets, and on Wednesday night, they took care of business. They ran out to a huge lead in the first quarter and did not look back, taking a 120-108 win, moving to third in the Western Conference standings as a result. Luka Doncic was exceptional as per usual, putting up 31 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, leading the way for the Purple and Gold.
The goal for the Lakers in the coming games is to hold the fort and avoid falling in the standings as they await the return of LeBron James in the lineup. James is still dealing with a groin injury, and is expected to be out until at least early next week. And after their win over the Nuggets, Jarred Vanderbilt admitted that all they need from now until the end of the regular season is to avoid further injuries.
“Getting healthy. S**t, that’d be number one. Getting healthy, getting rest,” Vanderbilt said, with Doncic chiming in in the background, as per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “And try to get some reps together. That’s the main thing. It’s just getting healthy and keep building our chemistry.”
The Western Conference is unforgiving, and it’s not quite clear how much rest the Lakers can squeeze in from now until the end of the regular season. They are currently in the middle of another back-to-back set, as they will be taking on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
Next week, they will have another back-to-back when they take on the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls on consecutive nights, and they will have another the week after that. This stretch of the season is rather unforgiving for the Lakers, so they must tread very carefully.
Lakers remain in precarious position
The Lakers have mostly righted the ship after suffering through a losing streak last week in the aftermath of LeBron James’ groin injury. But they still have to bring their A-game from here on out, especially with the two-seed still up for grabs.
They have a 43-25 record, which has them behind the two-seed Houston Rockets by just one game in the win column. But the Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Golden State Warriors are still breathing down their necks, and it will only take a few losses for them to be in danger of falling all the way down to a play-in spot.
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