Los Angeles Lakers weren’t able to down the Philadelphia 76ers, but they can take some positives ahead of the crucial matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday.
The Wednesday defeat only raised the stakes for a Lakers squad that barely holds on as the ninth seed in the Western Conference just a half-game ahead of the 10th seeded Pelicans.
As a result, the Lakers rested LeBron James for the game against Philadelphia, and he will likely be ready for the crucial Sunday contest.
“It’s going to be a playoff-type of atmosphere for us because it’s definitely a must-win, I believe, for our group,” Russell Westbrook told reporters in the postgame presser.
Westbrook and the rest of the Lakers could not stop Embiid, Harden and Maxey, who combined for 75 points. Despite this season’s struggles, the LA franchise hope it can turn around the season in the playoffs.
Before that, the Lakers will need to get past the Pelicans in the play-in tournament. The Pelicans won 123-95 in the first matchup of the regular season series.
“We’re building habits that are going to win for us in the postseason, and we’re continuing to grow. We’re disappointed we lost, but without Bron, without AD, the group that played showed everyone we’ve still got a whole lot of fight left in us,” Frank Vogel said Wednesday, via NBA.com.
The Lakers showed some fight in the last few games, but they still away from making any real statement regarding their postseason aspiration starting the season.
Their wins vs the Raptors and Cavaliers still hold some weight coming in the road against two playoff-caliber teams, but, they will need more.
The Sunday’s contest against the Pelicans could be the most important test for them with nine games remaining in the regular season.
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