The Los Angeles Lakers begin this Saturday’s assault on the ring, weakened by the absence of their big stars, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, which forces an eternal LeBron James to lead the search for a miracle to overcome the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets.
The first round will take place this Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles starting at 5:30 p.m. (00:30 GMT Saturday). The team finished the regular season by securing a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference after a record of three consecutive wins down the stretch.
A hard blow
However, the NBA’s most glamorous club has lost its most valuable asset:
The Slovenian star, who led the league in scoring with 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game before suffering an injury on April 2.
Without Doncic, coupled with the absence of Reaves after an oblique strain that will keep him sidelined for at least the next month, leaves the Lakers squad in a doldrums at one of its most important moments.
Doncic’s critical low
Doncic’s recovery plan has been intensive and included a trip to Madrid to receive specialized regenerative medicine treatment to accelerate the timeline and return ahead of schedule.
Although he is scheduled to return to Los Angeles this Friday, the goal with the team is to survive the first round, hoping to return for a hypothetical semifinal appearance.
As an exception measure, the North American league passed a ruling this week allowing the Lakers point guard his MVP eligibility despite his current injury.
Apneas was one game short of meeting the minimum requirement of 65 appearances.
But the NBA accepted a special exemption so that he can compete for the award after averaging figures that keep him as a great favorite (Filed as: Lakers go for the ring without Doncic and Reaves).
LeBron, the only soldier standing
At 41 years old, James will once again have to take control of the offense in what could be his last playoffs.
If she plays, the veteran star will reach the historic milestone of playing in her 19th postseason tomorrow.
Tying the NBA all-time record of other basketball legends such as Karl Malone and John Stockton.
His experience on the court will be the differential factor for the survival of the Angelenos.
They are now relying on players such as Japan’s Rui Hachimura and newcomer Luke Kennard.
The most glamorous team in the NBA has lost its most valuable asset
QuéOnnda.com
This initial duel will measure JJ Redick’s team’s ability to respond to next Tuesday’s game at the same venue.
The Lakers need to clinch these first two home games if they want to travel to Houston with some margin for error.
Kevin Durant’s Rockets come in as the fifth-ranked team and despite the fact that the Lakers dominated the head-to-head matchup, betting odds have the Texans as favorites due to the critical losses in the Los Angeles lineup.
(Filed under: Lakers go for the ring without Doncic and Reaves).
With information from EFE
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