The Los Angeles Lakers faced a heartbreaking loss in Game 2 of their First Round of Playoff series. They are now in a “do or die” situation, as the Lakershow returns home to host Denver for their Game 3 matchup on Friday. Anthony Davis and LeBron James have been at the center of the team’s offense and defense, keeping the team in the contest at all times. While they seem hopeful about the upcoming game, the squad’s injury report isn’t looking too promising.
The Lakers star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis become the first cause of concern. Both are currently tagged as “probable”. Unlike in AD’s case, who picked up his back injury during the Play-Ins, the origin of LeBron’s injury remains unknown. However, the 39-year-old is giving some memorable performances, back-to-back. In fact, James is almost averaging a triple-double in this year’s playoffs, putting up 26.5 points, 10.0 assists, and 7.0 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets.
The King has also done a fantastic job on defense recording 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals a game, strengthing a previously criticized part of his game. Even if James and Davis were completely healthy, the Purple and Gold would have had a hard time defeating the Nuggets due to the sheer difference in size and shooting. While the Lakers did acquire Christian Wood and Jared Vanderbilt to counteract the Nuggets, the two frontcourt players unfortunately haven’t been available for the team due to injuries.
Can LeBron James and Co. overcome the 2-0 hole?
Only five teams in league history have ever gone down 0-3 and forced a Game 7, with none of those teams being successful in pulling off an upset. While LBJ might be confident in his team, everyone is pretty sure that James can’t pull off a 4-0 run against the defending champions. Thus, effectively, Game 3 is the only chance the Lakers have to keep their season alive.
First things first, the Lakers bench will have to snap back into focus. While everyone knew that the Lakers lacked depth, no one expected the bench to be completely absent from action. In fact, Denver forward Christian Braun outscored the entire Lakers bench in Game 2.
The starters aren’t far off either. Shooting guard Austin Reaves remained in single digits during Game 2 and finished Game 1 with only 13 points. While Russell could take over as the team’s main shooter, concerns surrounding his consistency might be stopping the franchise from making such drastic decisions. With James entering his final contract year this summer, the Lakers will have to show up for their remaining contests, if they hope to keep King James a Laker for the foreseeable future.
