LeBron James took a break from playing, and the Los Angeles Lakers have felt the impact. The reigning NBA champions have fallen from second to seventh place in the Western Conference and are now at risk of participating in the play-in tournament.
The Lakers currently do not have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. This is their lowest position since late December, making them eligible for the play-in round that the NBA has introduced for teams finishing between seventh and tenth place in each conference.
Despite his criticism of the play-in games, suggesting that the person who came up with the idea should be fired, LeBron James has been sidelined since late March due to an ankle injury sustained during a game against the Atlanta Hawks. He has missed 23 of the team’s last 25 games. Unless the Lakers can secure wins in most of their remaining games, participating in the play-in tournament seems inevitable.
“We have confidence in ourselves regardless of where we end up,” stated Lakers coach Frank Vogel following the team’s loss to Portland on Friday night. “Ideally, we aim to finish in the top six. We still have five games left to try and climb the standings if possible.”
