On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Utah Jazz with a shot at the postseason in their sights.
Latest news on LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Lauri Markkanen
With just four games left in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers are still in the postseason hunt. It seems as though their sights are set higher than finishing in the Western Conference’s top six.
Los Angeles (40-38) are a half-game behind the Clippers and Warriors (both 41-38) for the final two guaranteed playoff spots.
They need to win out to assure at least a play-in game, since they are currently tied for seventh place in the conference with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers are on a roll, having won their last three games in a row and six of their last seven.
Anthony Davis scored 40 points and the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 134-109 on Sunday behind LeBron James’s 18 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
While Davis’ stress injury to his right foot hasn’t fully healed, he has been playing through the pain in previous games, so he should be good to go on Tuesday.
He has averaged 33.6 points, 11.8 boards, and 35.6 minutes over his last five games. He had at least 37 points in four of the contests.
King James’s participation in today’s game is in question owing to a foot ailment, as reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
James’ foot injury kept him out of action for a month, but he has returned for the last four games. If the Lakers are still in the hunt for a playoff spot on Tuesday, he will almost certainly play.
However, D’Angelo Russell’s availability for Tuesday’s game is in doubt due to a foot injury.
Russell had to leave Sunday’s game against Houston because of soreness in his left foot. In his last three games, he has averaged 11.7 points, 6.0 assists, and 28.3 minutes per game.
Despite dropping six of their last seven games, the Jazz (36-62) still have a shot at making the play-in round. No one thought the Jazz would be competitive enough to think about making the playoffs amid a season of rebuilding.
Utah faces an uphill battle to secure a postseason berth. They are 1 1/2 games behind 10th place Oklahoma City (38-41) and a half-game back of Dallas (37-42).
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune says that Lauri Markkanen‘s status for Tuesday’s game against the Lakers is in doubt due to a left hand contusion.
Markkanen scored 23 points (8-21 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT) in 35 minutes during his return game on Sunday after missing two consecutive games with the same hand issue. He also added nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Simone Fontecchio is the leading possibility to start in place of Markkanen on Tuesday if the All-Star forward is unable to play.
The Jazz and the Lakers square up twice in a week where playoff positioning is at stake. They will face each other in the season finale on Sunday in Los Angeles.
