Heading into All-Star Weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers were standing in third in the Western Conference. The Lakers are 24-13 and seem to be suffering without Anthony Davis in the mix. Over the All-Star Break, Lebron earned himself another All-Star victory by beating Team Durant, 170-150. The MVP for the game went to Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the other events, Steph Curry won the 3-point contest, Anfernee Simons won the dunk contest, and Domantas Sabonis won the skills challenge.
Now that All-Star weekend is over, the NBA teams can turn their attention to the second half of the season. Specifically for the Lakers, their games start on Friday. There are a few things to pay attention to in the second half of the Lakers season.
The Lakers still have a lot of games left before they reach the playoffs. Looking ahead on the schedule, the Lakers play the Phoenix Suns, who are currently in second place, two more times. The Lakers also play the Utah Jazz, who are currently in first place in the Western Conference, two more times. While out of conference games are important, the Western Conference seems like its going to be a battle for first. The Lakers need to focus on getting back into the win category so their seeding for playoffs will be favorable. Another matchup to look forward to in the second half of the season is two more games of the battle for Los Angeles. The Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers in April and May. Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James is always a good matchup to watch and these games are always competitive.
Courtesy of firstpost.com
Right now, Anthony Davis has been out due to a calf strain and Achilles tendinosis. The Lakers have been struggling without the All-Star. While the team may be losing games now, they want to make sure that Davis has enough time to recover so he doesn’t reinjure himself on his return. Davis was officially ruled out on February 18 and was given a four week recovery time, which he is still on pace for. This means that Davis’ return could be as early as March 18 where the team plays the Charlotte Hornets or it could be later depending on Davis’s pain. The Lakers really want to make sure that Davis is fully healed before he returns so he does not end up with a worse injury. The Lakers need to just hold off without Davis to make sure he is healthy when they need him for playoffs.
Courtesy of theathletic.com
While the team wants to get back to the championship, LeBron is also making a strong case for MVP. The 17-year veteran is not showing any signs of slowing down. LeBron is averaging 25.8 points per game, 7.8 assists per game and 8.0 rebounds per game. There are other players also in the early running for the MVP race. Other favorites for the title are Nikola Jokic, James Harden and Joel Embiid. While there are other favorites for MVP,. LeBron still has a whole half of a season left to craft his MVP campaign.
The Lakers still have a lot of time left before they become back-to-back champions. This All-Star break has hopefully given the team a chance to rest. The Lakers will simply need to focus on winning.
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