The Los Angeles Lakers are now officially in a battle for the final play-in spot because of their latest loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
That means that the team needs to achieve a few major wins in their final games in order to hold the 10th seed and have at least a slim chance of making the playoffs.
Unfortunately, that isn’t an easy task for this Lakers team – especially because it is missing its two biggest stars: LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are both recovering from injury.
Now comes word that James might not be back any time soon – which means the season may be effectively over.
LeBron James left the Lakers’ road trip early to continue his rehabilitation on his ankle back in Los Angeles, per the team.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 30, 2022
It is being reported that James has left the Lakers’ current road trip early so he can continue his rehabilitation back home.
Usually, a player leaving the team to rehab isn’t too big of a deal.
This year, however, it is leading many to think that James is throwing in the towel.
Calling It A Day
The Lakers have seven more games and their regular season comes to an end on April 10.
Obviously, the team has to win more games than the San Antonio Spurs in hopes of overtaking them.
Some of the games ahead look like they could be winnable but you never can tell with this team.
Winning enough games to get into the play-in tournament seems like a tall order and James is surely aware of that, which may be leading to him not rushing to return.
The good news is that the latest rumors say Davis may be back on the court this week.
Speculation suggests Davis could take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
That’s good news because it seems like the Lakers haven’t figured out how to beat the Pelicans…or really any other team.
NEXT: Viral Photo Of LeBron James Has Lakers Fans Furious
