- As the playoffs near, Jovan Buha of The Athletic assesses the best bet for a fully healthy Lakers closing lineup. Within his mailbag, Buha also appraises which players could be the best fit for potential substitutions in that lineup depending on the opponent. The biggest sticking point, despite the Lakers’ complete overhaul at the center position this season, is that Anthony Davis should play at center down the home stretch in any variation.
Lakers star LeBron James could be back on the court next week, a source tells Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The source has received reports from James’ workouts and said he has shown progress in his rehab from a high-ankle sprain. Goon lists possible return dates as Monday against the Nuggets, next Thursday against the Clippers or next Friday against the Trail Blazers.
Goon’s story echoes a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski over the weekend that James was close to returning. He has been sidelined since suffering the injury in a March 20 game.
Coach Frank Vogel told reporters there’s still no firm date for James to start playing again. He also refused to speculate on whether James will be used in back-to-back games for the rest of the regular season.
“He’ll tell me when he’s ready,” Vogel said. “He and the medical team will tell me when he’s ready. They’re having conversations about it each day. They’re monitoring his progression each day, seeing where he’s at and when he’s ready to play, he’ll play.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers guard Dennis Schröder is playing in his 58th game tonight, which moves him closer to a couple of contract bonuses, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. He will be eligible to receive a $250K bonus if the Lakers make the NBA Finals and another $250K if they repeat as champions. Schröder must play in at least half of the team’s postseason games to receive the money.
- Kings center Richaun Holmes is campaigning for a spot on the All-Defensive Team, writes Jordan Ramirez of NBA.com. Holmes is valuable on both ends of the court, averaging 1.6 blocks per night and ranking second in the league in field goal percentage at 64.4%. “I just want to show the type of player that I am, just show that I’m one of the best two-way players, just show that I’m deserving of the All-Defensive Team and just continue to show (what I can do),” Holmes said. “I want to continue to get better on the floor and just let my numbers and things of that sort prove my case.”
- Suns forward Abdel Nader is out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this week, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
Starting Lakers point guard Dennis Schröder has played particularly well as of late, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Schröder has been the single most important element of the team’s offense without All-Stars LeBron James or, until recently, Anthony Davis, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. As the team’s lead ball-handler without James, Schröder has taken on more of the scoring and passing burden.
Schröder has averaged 17.4 PPG and 7.8 APG across the 20 games since James’s injury, making a push for a lucrative new contract ahead of his upcoming unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old has reportedly turned down an extension offer from the Lakers in the range of $80MM+ over four years.
- Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James posted what must be a tantalizing missive to L.A. fans recently, per Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. A black-and-white video featuring James enacting a layup drill in Dallas was accompanied by a promising quote: “Coming soon to a city near you.” James has been sidelined with a high-ankle sprain since March 20, and the Lakers officially remain cagier than James himself has been, sticking with the “indefinite” line in addressing his availability.
On Monday, we asked which team you expect to win the Eastern Conference in 2021. As of this writing, the Nets have received about 40% of the vote, easily besting the runner-up Bucks (23%). Those results aren’t surprising — the oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag have made Brooklyn the clear favorite to win the conference and represent the East in this year’s NBA Finals.
In the West, however, there’s not really a clear frontrunner. The defending-champion Lakers (36-25) still have the best odds, per BetOnline, but L.A. has only won eight of its last 20 games, having had to play for several weeks without injured stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
While Davis is back now and James should be soon, the Lakers have slipped to fifth in the Western standings, four games back of the fourth-seeded Nuggets. That means their path to the Finals could involve road series against Denver, Utah, and either the Suns or Clippers. That won’t be an easy road, even if AD and LeBron stay healthy and look like their usual selves.
The Clippers (43-20) and Jazz (44-17) are considered the next-best bets to win the West. After a disappointing showing in the 2020 postseason, the Clips should be a tougher out in 2021. Kawhi Leonard is a two-time Finals MVP, Paul George has played some of his best basketball in recent weeks (30.2 PPG on .503/.427/.920 shooting in his last nine games), and Rajon Rondo has been a perfect fit in the team’s rotation so far.
Utah, meanwhile, owns the NBA’s best record, led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert, leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, and a pair of Sixth Man of the Year contenders (Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles). The Jazz lack a superstar wing like LeBron or Kawhi, but this is a deep, talented club that is capable of winning multiple playoff series.
The Suns (43-18) are currently the No. 2 seed in the West, and while they haven’t made the postseason since 2010, they’ve proven this season that they can hang with the NBA’s top teams. Their duo of Chris Paul and Devin Booker has been the conference’s best backcourt this season, complemented by key role players like Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Jae Crowder.
The Nuggets, unfortunately, look like far less of a threat to make the Finals without Jamal Murray (torn ACL) available. But they’ve only lost once in seven games since Murray went down, as MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic has kept rolling and Michael Porter Jr. (25.7 PPG on .591/.544/.826 shooting in his last seven games) has stepped up to fill the scoring void that Murray’s injury created.
Some teams outside of the West’s top five, including the Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Warriors, could make some noise in the playoffs if their respective stars get hot at the right time, but none is better than a 25-to-1 shot to come out of the West this season, according to BetOnline.
What do you think? Will the Lakers repeat as Western champs, or will a team with home court advantage get the best of them? Which team do you expect will represent the West in the 2021 NBA Finals?
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- As Anthony Davis has returned (albeit on a minutes limit), the Lakers have continued to balance their center rotation, writes Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Marc Gasol missed three games with a dislocated pinky, but immediately supplanted Montrezl Harrell as L.A.’s backup center when he did return, behind new starter Andre Drummond. Head coach Frank Vogel indicated that Harrell had been briefed about the situation. “He understands the big picture and what we’re trying to get accomplished,” Vogel said.
- The Lakers plan to engage head coach Frank Vogel in contract extension conversations during the 2021 offseason, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicated on an NBA Countdown broadcast Saturday, as relayed by Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report. Vogel is in the second year of a three-season contract he signed with L.A. in 2019. During his first season, the Lakers won their first title in 10 years.
- With All-Star big man Anthony Davis now back in the fold, the Lakers are still figuring out their lineups during the home stretch of the 2020/21 NBA season, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s like you’re starting over with the guys and just trying to find a connection with these guys again,” Davis said. “They’re trying to find a connection with me. So, it’s like we’re starting from zero, which is tough so late in the season.”
LeBron James could return from his high right ankle sprain as early as next week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Saturday’s pre-game show (hat tip to Justin Benjamin of Lakers Daily).
Wojnarowski was talking about Anthony Davis‘ minutes restriction in his second game since returning from his injuries and said Davis’ playing time will “start ramping up as we get closer to LeBron James’ return, which could be as soon as the following week.”
Woj’s outlook is much more optimistic than a report on Tuesday suggesting that James could still be weeks away from playing again.
James hasn’t played since hurting the ankle on March 20 in a collision with Hawks forward Solomon Hill, who was diving on the floor for a loose ball. James stayed in the game briefly, but an MRI showed the damage was significant.
The Lakers are 7-10 since James was injured and have fallen into a tight race for fifth place in the Western Conference.
Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis will sit out tonight’s game with the Lakers, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Porzingis sprained his left ankle in Thursday’s win over L.A., and even though the injury isn’t considered to be a long-term issue, Dallas is being careful with Porzingis.
“We believe (the ankle sprain) is not serious,” coach Rick Carlisle said, “but the decision for him to sit tonight was not a close call.” (Twitter link)
There’s more injury news from around the league:
- The Lakers will have Anthony Davis on a 25-minute restriction for tonight’s game, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Davis played 17 minutes Thursday as he returned to the court for the first time in nine weeks and felt “minimal soreness,” said coach Frank Vogel. The Lakers plan to use Davis in both halves tonight.
- Bulls guard Zach LaVine won’t be available for the rest of the team’s road trip, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. That will include games tonight and Monday in Miami and Wednesday at New York. LaVine has been in the league’s health and safety protocols for the past 10 days, and coach Billy Donovan said the All-Star guard is still under quarantine.
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra refused to comment on whether Tyler Herro aggravated his foot injury in Friday’s loss to the Hawks, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Herro, who won’t be active tonight, had sat out the prior two games before playing against Atlanta.
- Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell had his sprained ankle re-evaluated Friday, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. Mitchell is making progress, but will miss at least one more week.
- Pacers forward T.J. Warren, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, has rejoined the team, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link), who adds that Warren is no longer wearing a walking boot.
In his return after a two-month absence, Anthony Davis‘ numbers were not overly impressive, as he scored just four points in 17 minutes. However, the Lakers’ superstar said he wasn’t giving any thought to the calf strain and Achilles tendinosis in his right leg that sidelined him for 30 games.
“I didn’t think about it one time tonight,” Davis said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Honestly, I just went out there and played. I think it can limit what you do if you’re out there thinking about your injury, so I just went out and played and not think about it. Just go out there and have fun and be excited to be back on the floor. That was my main thing. I was just excited to be back on the floor with the guys, so I never thought about it. I never did a limit to any moves. Wasn’t hesitant with anything, so that was a good sign for me.”
Injuries have limited Davis to 24 games this season, and he’s averaging just 21.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG when he has played, his lowest marks in several years. However, as he rounds back into form and LeBron James moves toward a return, the Lakers are poised to have some serious firepower back on the court as they seek to defend their NBA championship.
More Pacific Division notes here:
- The Clippers says that center Serge Ibaka is making progress in his return from lower back tightness that has sidelined him since mid-March, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. “He’s progressing,” head coach Ty Lue said. “We’re not sure the timetable when he’ll be back, but that was his first time getting on the floor and actually doing some playing so that’s a good start.”
- In the midst of an up-and-down season for the Warriors, Jordan Poole has emerged as a bright spot in the team’s future, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Poole has shown an innate ability to score, prompting head coach Steve Kerr to laud his 21-year-old. “We can’t have our decision to play him based on whether he’s making shots or not,” Kerr said. “That’s not a recipe for consistent performance. He has to take that next step and he’s showing signs. Which is great.”
- With Marvin Bagley III seemingly close to returning, NBC Sports’ James Ham analyzes what the big man’s role with the Kings might be once he’s back on the court.
Before Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis returned to the court tonight for the first time in two months, Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group noted that the team would have to make significant rotational adjustments to its closing lineup.
The closing lineup will not be affected just yet, however. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has indicated that Davis, on a strict 15-minute limit at present, will play all of his minutes in the first half of tonight’s game against the Mavericks, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets.
As long as he’s feeling good and doesn’t experience any last-minute setbacks, Lakers star Anthony Davis plans to return to the court on Thursday for the team’s game in Dallas, he told reporters today (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). We heard last week that he was nearing a return.
Davis has been sidelined for over two months due to a right calf strain and tendinosis, having last played on February 14. Discussing his injury today, he admitted that when it first occurred, he experienced what felt like a “ripping” sensation and was concerned that he may have suffered a torn Achilles (Twitter link via McMenamin). Testing showed that the injury wasn’t that serious.
Head coach Frank Vogel intends to immediately reinsert Davis into the Lakers’ starting lineup, as Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. However, he’ll be on a minutes restriction for the time being, and isn’t expected to play more than about 15 minutes on Thursday.
While the Lakers will get a boost as one of their All-Stars returns to the lineup, their other superstar still isn’t close to playing. A Tuesday report indicated that LeBron James‘ timeline can still be measured in weeks rather than days.