Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis won’t play against the Utah Jazz on March 31.
However, they could suit up for only the 22nd time together this season on April 1 versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
Davis plans to play against his former team barring a setback, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Chicago native has been out since February 14 with a right mid-foot sprain.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is also reporting that LeBron, who sprained his left ankle on March 27, is hopeful to return versus the Pelicans.
The Pelicans are 1.5 games ahead of the Lakers in the Western Conference standings. To make the play-in tournament, Los Angeles has to stay above the 11th spot.
The ninth, 10th and 11 slots will come down to the Pelicans, Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were actually in the 10th spot on March 30, but since they lost, they dropped back to the 11th spot.
Davis will probably be rusty against the Pelicans since he hasn’t played in so long. However, the Lakers are undoubtedly a much better team on both sides of the floor when the Brow is in the lineup.
Davis Is Putting up Strong Numbers This Season
Davis is averaging 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 blocks this season for the Lakers while shooting 53.7% from the field, 18.2% from beyond the arc and 70.9% from the free-throw line. He has 17 double-doubles and the Lakers are 17-20 with AD in the lineup.
An eight-time All-Star, Davis has a history of playing well against the Pelicans. The Lakers big man has averaged 27.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in five games versus the team he began his career with.
The Lakers are 11-10 when LeBron and Davis play this season. Injuries have prevented the two Klutch Sports clients from developing chemistry this campaign, one of the main reasons why the purple and gold have been a walking disaster.
“We just haven’t had enough chemistry, enough time with our group to be able to know exactly who we are and who we can become. [We haven’t] had enough minutes on the floor,” LeBron said in March. “We literally just played a team that has probably had the most consistent starting lineup over the last two or three years, and obviously [Chris Paul’s] been out, but they bring in Cameron Payne and the thing keeps going. It’s going to be challenging for us. AD definitely helps, but it’s not the answer to all the questions.”
LeBron is having a phenomenal season. He’s averaging 30.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting 52.3% from the floor, 35.9% from beyond the arc and 75.6% from the free-throw line. However, the Lakers are only 25-30 when the King plays.
Even though LeBron and Davis are two of the top players in the NBA, it might be too late for them to develop a rapport on the court and lead the Lakers on another magical run as they did in 2020.
Time Is Not on Lakers’ Side
The Lakers will probably lose to the Jazz since Davis and LeBron are out and Utah is 45-31. The Pelicans are 2-0 against the LakeShow this season, although Davis hasn’t played in either contest.
After the Pelicans contest, the Lakers have games against the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s a difficult schedule for a team with the 21st-ranked defensive rating in the league.
If Davis and LeBron do play against the Pelicans, it will be interesting to see how they move on the court and if they can help the Lakers secure a play-in spot.
Lakers Receive Major Update on LeBron James & Anthony Davis: Report