I’m going to be honest with you, as I type this sentence, the Lakers are scheduled to tip off their game in 92 minutes. I am, then, cutting this a bit close. This is what happens when all the days run together during a pandemic…you mistake a Thursday for a Wednesday even though you totally treated Wednesday like a Wednesday 12 hours ago.
In any event, I’d say that I hope the Lakers are taking this more seriously than I am, but I’m actually not quite sure that is the case. Anthony Davis, KCP, Alex Caruso, and Kyle Kuzma are all out for this game. LeBron and Danny Green will only play a half and Talen Horton-Tucker, Markieff Morris, and JaVale will start next to them to begin the game. This isn’t to say these guys aren’t going to play hard or try to win the game, but the Lakers are clearly treating this game exactly as they should considering the circumstances.
The Lakers really do only have a single objective for this game: don’t get anyone hurt. As the #1 seed in the west, their position is set. That they’re playing the already eliminated Kings in this final seeding game, the result of this contest has no impact on any other playoff spots. So, this game actually doesn’t mean anything for any of the participants besides a last chance to get into some sort of rhythm and find more conditioning before the playoffs start next week.
With that, I have little to say about this game other than I hope what the Lakers hope for: good health. If I was to hope for anything else it would be for Danny Green to build on his 4th quarter vs. the Nuggets by hitting more shots and for THT to play well overall and be locked in on both ends. Anything else positive that could potentially come from this game is a bonus. Including a win.
So, enjoy this game folks. The real ones start next week and so will our playoff coverage.
Where you can watch: 10:30am start time on Spectrum SportsNet.