Lakers news: Promising LeBron James injury update, Anthony Davis takes the blame, new locker room dynamic
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers’ season is really going to come down to the wire. Los Angeles is currently in the middle of a crowded playoff picture in the Western Conference as the team looks to make a run and secure a spot to extend its season.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis make up one of the best superstar duos in the entire league and there is not a single team that wants to face those two in a playoff series. With how they have played since the deadline, the Lakers truly can be one of the most over-qualified low seeds in NBA Playoff history.
Speaking of LeBron and AD, they (as usual) headline our Lakers news roundup.
Lakers news roundup:
- LeBron James seems to be making great progress from his foot injury. Darvin Ham said that LeBron’s recovery is going as planned and he was even spotted on Sunday night without his walking boot. LeBron is scheduled to be re-evaluated in a week and a half with his return date determined after that.
- Ham seemed to take a subtle shot at Russell Westbrook before Sunday’s game while speaking to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. Ham said that since the deadline the team is “having fun in the locker room, competing their behinds off, pulling in the same direction.”
- Despite the team having fun and playing in the same direction, LA was unable to extend its winning streak on Sunday against the Knicks. Anthony Davis dropped 17 points with 16 rebounds and took the full blame for the loss against New York.
NBA news roundup:
- Former NBA center Raymond Felton passed away on Sunday at the age of 55. Felton played for multiple Lakers rivals, including the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.
- Nikola Jokic scored 35 points with 20 rebounds and 11 assists in Sunday’s loss against the Brooklyn Nets. It is the 24th time in NBA history a player has finished with 35+ points, 20+ rebounds and 10+ assists in a game. Jokic joins Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to do so more than once.
- Trey Murphy III scored 41 points in the Pelicans’ win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday. By doing so, Murphy broke Anthony Davis’ franchise record for most points scored by a first or second-year player.