“It’s going to be a playoff-type atmosphere for us” Russell Westbrook hypes Lakers clash with fellow play-in hopefuls Pelicans
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Russell Westbrook
The Los Angeles Lakers are headed into the play-in tournament this season and it was not something many were expecting at the start of the season. There are various reasons as to why the Lakers have not lived up to the hype starting from a very unconventional pairing of players to injuries and lack of a systematic approach. The team has won three out of their last ten games which is a better outcome than losing 10 games at a stretch.
The LA Lakers are currently 9th in a powerful Western Conference with a record of 31 wins and 42 losses. Right now, they are coming off a loss against the Philadelphia 76ers playing only eight players throughout the game. LeBron James was out as he was dealing with a knee injury. Although both teams were almost neck-in-neck, turnovers were the biggest reason why the Sixers managed to sneak a win.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers Game Recap
Starting with the shooting statistics, the Lakers had as many of more than the Sixers with 51.5 % from the field, 36.7% from the three-point line, and 62.5% from the free-throw line. The Sixers shot 51.6% from the field making 47 on their combined 91 attempts from the field which included 10 made three-pointers and 22 free throws on 28 attempts. Defensively both teams were almost similar being only one or two tries behind each other in rebounds, blocks and steals. Had the Lakers turned the ball over lesser, they would have had a chance of beating the Sixers by as many as five points as well.
This game witnessed eight out of all the players on the court scoring 20 points or more. Russell Westbrook and Dwight Howard had an evenly split total of 48 points. Westbrook had 9 rebounds and 8 assists on 50% shooting. Carmelo Anthony concluded the game with 20 points and 7 rebounds with a couple of valuable threes during the game. Joel Embiid led the Sixers to their 45th win of the season with 30 points, 10 rebounds with a couple of dimes. James Harden had 24 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds shooting 7 of 18 from the field. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey scored a combined 41 points.
The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to perform playoff level basketball in their upcoming games says Russell Westbrook
One of the biggest questions of the season is whether the Lakers will survive the play-ins to move ahead into the playoffs and whether they will make it past the first round. Only nine games left until we have the answers handed over to us and the players in purple and gold are hoping to keep their rhythm going on. Before coming off a defeat, the Lakers went on a two-game winning streak with LeBron on the roster.
According to Westbrook, the reason why the Lakers are winning better is that each player is getting more comfortable and aware of their roles resulting in a system that they have been looking for all season long. He commented on their upcoming game against the New Orleans Pelicans saying, “It’s going to be a playoff-type of atmosphere for us. It’s definitely a must-win for our group.” The Pelicans and Lakers are both fighting for a play-in spot on the board as Nola is just a game behind the Lakers. If the Pelicans do win, it will push them above the Lakers for 9th place.
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Rakibul John Rodgers
(1258 Articles Published)