The Los Angeles Lakers had plenty of chances to build a gap in the rankings against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, but couldn’t make it happen.
Currently, the Lakers are 48-31 and the No. 3 seed in a tight Western Conference.
They lead The Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Memphis Grizzlies by just one game.
With three games remaining for each team, the standings could look quite different come Sunday.
LeBron James reaches out to Luka Doncic with a message
Luka Doncic was perhaps the difference in the team's loss to the Thunder.
At 7 minutes and 40 seconds left in the final quarter, he received his second technical foul of the match, leading to his removal from the game.
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Dončić says he was engaging in some banter with a spectator sitting near the court, however, the referee who issued him the technical fouls wasn’t convinced. The initial technical foul was handed to him for using profanity against that same referee.
It happened at the worst possible moment. Just as Dončić made a floating shot to take the lead against the top-seeded Thunder, this occurred.
Even though the Thunder secured the top seed several weeks ago, they still went all out against another formidable postseason opponent.
The Lakers are heading to Dallas to face the Mavericks. This game marks Doncic's return to Dallas for the first time since he was traded from there to Los Angeles in exchange for Anthony Davis.
It still needs to be observed precisely how the fans will respond, however, LeBron James shared his thoughts, considering he has some experience with comebacks.
His circumstances will be quite distinct from mine, said James.
In 2014, James dramatically came back to the Cleveland Cavaliers following his decision to join the Miami Heat via a sign-and-trade agreement instead of returning home initially.
One can confidently state that the city forgave James since he led the Cavaliers to their inaugural NBA Championship.
MORE LAKERS NEWS
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- Lakers listed as one of the top contenders to secure Nikola Jokic after Nuggets make significant coaching choice
- Lakers' Austin Reaves draws a remarkable parallel to a Hall of Fame legend.