LeBron James, Lakers Face Must-Win Game Against Clippers With Playoffs Chances Almost Done

The Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff chances are on life support after losing to the NBA’s worst team Saturday night. A defeat in their next game would likely be the final nail in the coffin and ensure that LeBron James will miss the postseason for the first time in 14 years.

The Lakers are set to host the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center Monday night. It has become a virtual “must-win” situation for the Lakers, who are 4.5 games out of the Western Conference’s No.8 seed with just 19 games left on the regular-season schedule.

The San Antonio Spurs currently own the final playoff spot, but they are essentially five games ahead of the Lakers because they have already won the regular-season series against L.A. The Lakers’ only real shot to sneak into the postseason is to catch the No.7 seed Clippers, whom they trail by four games in the loss column. The L.A. teams have split their two matchups and will meet again in the final week of the regular season.

The No.9 seed Sacramento Kings are 1.5 games ahead of the Lakers.

Just about all of the numbers suggest that the Lakers will miss the playoffs. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Lakers a 0.9 percent chance to make the postseason. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has set the odds of the Lakers making the playoffs at +600. Los Angeles is a -900 favorite to miss the playoffs.

Those odds moved dramatically after the Lakers lost on the road to the Phoenix Suns 118-109 Saturday night. Phoenix owns the NBA’s worst record, and their win against the Lakers gave them just their fourth victory in 2019. The Suns lost 17 straight games between Jan. 15 and Feb. 23.

James had 27 points, nine rebounds and 16 assists in the defeat. He’s put up big numbers since returning from the groin injury that forced him to miss 18 games, but it hasn’t been enough to get the Lakers back on the right track.

The Lakers were 20-14 when James got hurt on Christmas Day. The team has been in a tailspin ever since, going 6-12 without the superstar. James returned on Jan. 31 to help lead the Lakers to a key victory over the Clippers, but the team has since posted a 3-8 record.

The Lakers’ 5-12 record in their last 17 games is the third-worst in the NBA. They’ve given up a league-worst 122.5 points per game since Jan. 19.

The Lakers are closer to the West’s No.12 seed than they are the No.8 seed. They have one of the most difficult schedules in the NBA to conclude the season.