Lakers’ playoff hopes take one other hit after comeback fades vs. Minnesota

The primary of a five-game homestand for the Lakers started with an vital recreation on Friday night time in opposition to the proficient and athletic Minnesota Timberwolves, considered one of three LA groups for the play-in match.

The Lakers will play this stretch with out LeBron James, who will probably be re-evaluated in three weeks after it was introduced Thursday that the ahead has a tendon damage to his proper foot.

The Lakers additionally lacked place to begin guard D’Angelo Russell, who missed his fourth straight recreation with a sprained proper ankle.

However the Lakers did get Anthony Davis again after he missed Wednesday night time’s recreation in Oklahoma Metropolis because the workforce took precautions together with his proper foot stress damage. It didn’t matter, because the Lakers fell to Minnesota 110-102.

By way of three quarters, Davis had carried the Lakers with 29 factors, three rebounds and two assists. However he had six turnovers, too most of the 11 the Lakers had as a workforce.

The Lakers trailed the Timberwolves 83-76 by the tip of the third inning.

Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 17 factors and 10 rebounds and Anthony Edwards had 16 factors within the first three quarters for the Timberwolves.

The Lakers shot 40.3% from the sector to three-quarters, 28.6% from three-point vary. The Timberwolves shot 47.7% from the sector and 41.7% from three-point vary via the primary three quarters.

Coming into the sport in opposition to the Timberwolves, the Lakers had been in eleventh place within the powerful Western Convention.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham mentioned they know the place they stand within the race for a top-10 spot within the West.

“However I imply, I say to the workforce, ‘The primary order of enterprise is to handle our personal enterprise.’ It doesn’t matter what the standings say, whether or not we let video games slip or don’t do what we have to do to ensure we’re capable of capitalize on a chance,” mentioned Ham. “In order that’s crucial factor for us. We simply must give attention to our enterprise and the whole lot else will fall into place because it ought to.”

It received’t be straightforward for the Lakers as James will miss at the very least the following 10 video games or so.

He has began his rehab and is doing the whole lot he can to return for the Lakers to assist them of their quest to at the very least attain the play-in video games.

“There is no such thing as a replace and his scenario is what it’s,” mentioned Ham. “And if it wasn’t for him and his recreation we wouldn’t be so near having the possibility to enhance going ahead. So simply need him to take his time and be in tune with the medical employees and do what he must do to come back again as quickly as potential… We have to go one step additional, all of us.

The Lakers will get Russell again earlier than James, however when that can occur stays unsure

Russell began some “playgroups” on Friday, Ham mentioned, and remains to be working again.

“We don’t desire a man from not enjoying an NBA recreation throwing him again out,” Ham mentioned. “There are steps like playgroups that we have to see how he reacts to that, how his physique reacts, particularly his ankle. So we’ll undergo that, and he’s busy doing all of that.

Sadly for Russell, he missed enjoying in opposition to his former workforce.

The Lakers introduced in Minnesota’s Russell to be their place to begin guard.

However his new Lakers teammates, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, each performed on the Timberwolves workforce that made the playoffs with Russell final season.

Beasley and Vanderbilt had been traded to the Jazz final summer season and had been acquired by the Lakers final month.

Beasley had 10 factors on four-for-nine taking pictures and two-for-five on three-pointers via three-quarters. Vanderbilt had 5 factors and 4 rebounds.