Injuries continue to keep the Los Angeles Lakers star players off the court. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing more games, it is looking more likely that the Lakers will miss the playoffs for a second straight year.

James missed the Lakers' 121-109 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies with a foot injury that will cost him multiple weeks. The Lakers announced that Davis won't play Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles' biggest trade deadline addition, will miss his third straight game because of a sprained ankle.

James will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The four-time MVP is expected to miss at least six more games. Davis is resting Wednesday because it's the second half of a back-to-back. Los Angeles has two more back-to-backs before the regular season ends.

The Lakers have little margin for error in their quest to reach the playoffs over the final 20 games of the regular season. Amid James' latest injury and the unreliability of Davis, Los Angeles is a long shot to clinch a spot in the final postseason picture.

FanDuel Sportsbooks gives the Lakers +265 odds to make the playoffs. Los Angeles is a -350 favorite to miss the postseason. ESPN's projection model gives the Lakers just a 35.4% chance to make the playoffs and a 59.2% chance to make the play-in tournament.

Shortly after the Lakers came back from a 27-point deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks Sunday, the team's chances of making the playoffs were considered to be close to 50-50. The latest injury updates to Davis and James have eroded any confidence in Los Angeles' chances of moving up the standings.

The Thunder are 4.5-point favorites against the Lakers in Wednesday's pivotal matchup. Los Angeles can't afford to lose games to the likes of Oklahoma City if it hopes to make a run toward the postseason.

With a 29-33 record, the Lakers are the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder are a half-game behind the Lakers as the No. 13 seed. If Oklahoma City wins Wednesday, as expected, the two teams will swap places in the standings.

The Lakers are a game behind the No. 10 seed New Orleans Pelicans and two games behind the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. If the Lakers finish ninth or 10th in the West, they'll need to go 2-0 in the play-in tournament to make the playoffs. The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds are given two chances to win one game and clinch a playoff spot.

The No. 5 seed Golden State Warriors and No. 6 seed Los Angeles Clippers are both three games ahead of the Lakers. It's hard to see the Lakers catching either team.

The Lakers are 5-10 this season without James. Davis has only played 38 games and will fail to play more than 62 games for the fifth straight season.

In his 20th season, James is still a top-10 NBA player. James is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. The 38-year-old is shooting 50.1% from the field.

Los Angeles hasn't won a playoff series since winning the 2020 NBA Finals.

LeBron James celebrates after breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record as the NBA's all-time leading scorer
AFP