Lakers edge the Pacers in LeBron’s return, winning their 4th straight.
The Lakers got the band back together just in time before the playoffs in today’s much-needed win over the Pacers, welcoming back LeBron James and Dennis Schröder in this evening’s 122–115 win over Indiana. With today’s win, the Lakers are tied with the Blazers in the West at 41–30. With a Laker win over the Pelicans tomorrow and a Trail Blazers loss to the Nuggets, the Lakers will avoid the play-in game and get a needed rest before the playoffs.
This evening was the first glimpse of what’s to see when this Lakers team is fully healthy, with the playoffs just around the corner. In today’s much-needed win, the Lakers finished nearly 50% from the field, going 41 for 86 (47.6%) and 11 for 29 (37.9%) from three. With a game-high 11 offensive rebounds in today’s win, the Lakers big three had 9 of those 11, with Drummond leading the way with 4 of his 15 rebounds coming on the offensive side of the glass.
The Lakers were more than happy to welcome LeBron James back in the starting lineup for the first time since May 2nd. In his first game back in more than a month James showed flashes of his former self despite some rust. In 28 minutes, James finished 24 points on 11 of 22 (50%) shooting from the field, including 8 assists and 7 rebounds in his return. In the final two minutes of tonight’s game, LeBron James closed out the final minutes of the 4th, scoring 7 points in the final minute and a half, securing the win for the Lakers. LeBron spoke of his health and the feeling of his ankle since the last time he suited up saying: “I felt pretty good. A lot better than I did the last time I suited up.”
Head Frank Vogel spoke on the monitoring of James’ and how he looked in his return:
“I think he looked really good. Obviously, it’s going to take time until he’s 100%. We just proceeded like the ankle wasn’t an issue, and if it became one, he would let me know. That point never came.”
Since his return from a calf injury, Anthony Davis has progressed more and more with each game, showing his dominance with huge performances in the Lakers’ current four-game win streak. In today’s win over Indiana, Davis finished with a game-high 28 points on 9 of 18 (50%) shooting, also adding 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in his 35 minutes of action. Davis talked about the groin that sidelined him on Wednesday win over the Rockets saying:
“I felt great. It felt good to get back out there, let the groin rest for a game. It felt good the entire time.”
After coming off a 20 and 10 night in Wednesday’s win over the Houston Rockets, Andre Drummond continued his high energy with another high game in today’s Lakers victory. In 28 minutes, Drummond finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds on 4 of 9 (44.4%) shooting from the field, including 2 blocks with a plus/minus of +10 in his 9th double-double as a Laker.
After being out of the Lakers lineup since March 30th, the Lakers welcomed back starting point guard Dennis Schröder to the lineup. In 26 minutes, Schröder scored 14 points and 4 assists on 3 of 9 (33.3%) shooting from the field and 2 of 6 (33.3%) shooting from three. Six of Schröder’s fourteen points came from the foul line as he shot a perfect 6 for 6 from the charity strike. The availability for Dennis Schröder in tomorrow’s final regular-season game was up in the air, but Schröder put it to bed in a post-game interview saying “(I’m) going to play for sure” in tomorrow’s game.
With the Lakers set to have their final game of the regular season tomorrow against the Pelicans, avoiding the play-in is still a possibility. It is very slim because of how the NBA works in these final games, as teams alter their chances by dropping games to avoid certain teams. The Pelicans are going to be without almost all their starters in tomorrow’s game against the Lakers, making that an easily winnable matchup. The Lakers need a Denver win over the Blazers to move into that 6th seed. Look for Denver to sit some starters, as it looks like a better matchup to face the Blazers rather than the Lakers. LeBron James and Anthony Davis spoke on the certain situation where they might land in the seeding saying:
“Let the chips fall where they may. We’re ready to go.”