In the NBA, more decisions have been made. For the Lakers a very bitter one, because the play-offs will be without LeBron James, Anthony Davis & Co.
The Los Angeles Lakers no longer have a chance to make the playoffs. Without injured superstar LeBron James, the record champions lost 110-121 to the top-ranked Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night (local time). Because the San Antonio Spurs had won 116-97 at the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers cannot close the gap to tenth place in the remaining three games of the main round.
Coach Frank Vogel was “extremely disappointed” afterwards, but stressed that his star ensemble, which has been plagued by injuries time and again, gave everything until the end and did not let themselves down. “We put all the work in,” Vogel said, “it just wasn’t enough for us in a disjointed season.” Veteran Carmelo Anthony added: “Some things we could control, some we couldn’t. There are no excuses, we just didn’t get it done.”
The Spurs are now certain to play the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the mini-qualifiers. At stake is one of the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference of the world’s best basketball league.
Utah clinch playoff berth
The Utah Jazz clinched a play-off spot with a 121-115 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. In the West, it is still open whether Denver will be able to defend its direct play-off place or whether the Minnesota Timberwolves will move past them into sixth place.
In the Eastern Conference, on the other hand, the only open questions are where the team will finish and whether it will qualify for the play-offs. The Chicago Bulls secured the last direct ticket to the playoffs despite a 106-127 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, have to go into the so-called play-in because of their 115-120 loss to the Orlando Magic. Franz Wagner made his comeback for the Magic after missing his first NBA game this season, but quit after less than seven minutes because of his ankle injury. His brother Moritz Wagner scored 15 points.
The Miami Heat consolidated their top spot in the East with a 144-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The race for second place remains tight. The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers each have 49 wins and 30 losses. Joel Embiid had another outstanding night in the 76ers’ 131-122 win over the Indiana Pacers, scoring 45 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, and advertised himself for the Most Valuable Player award.
