National Basketball Association

Lakers in danger of missing play-in after loss to Pelicans, LeBron injury

Updated Mar. 28, 2022 3:02 p.m. ET

Los Angeles was the center of the universe Sunday night. And while a Hollywood scuffle dominated the entertainment headlines, another L.A.-related smackdown was the subject of the basketball world.

The Lakers quickly watched their 69-49 halftime advantage erode away in what was a 48-point turnaround by the New Orleans Pelicans. L.A. was outscored 67-39 in the second half, collecting a deflating 116-108 loss that kept them in the West's 10th spot.

New Orleans — currently ninth in the West at 32-43 — seized control of a potential tiebreaker with the Lakers (31-43) in the victory, as the Pels moved to 2-0 in their pair of head-to-head matchups.

And with eight regular-season games remaining, L.A.'s position could very well change, with the 11th-seeded San Antonio Spurs (30-44) looming just one game behind in the standings.

The Spurs are currently 2-2 vs. L.A. this season, but even if the two end up with the same record after 82 tilts, San Antonio owns the tiebreaker because the Spurs have a better conference record.

What does all of this mean? It means the Lakers' upcoming matchups carry must-win implications.

But stringing together wins has been a painfully difficult task for the Lakers all season, and with a slew of top-flight foes waiting in the wings, their work is cut out for them.

It's going to be even harder with LeBron James now performing on an injured ankle.

"It's horrible right now," James said regarding his pain level after turning his ankle early in the second quarter on Sunday.

"I've turned my ankle before, tonight was just one of those [unfortunate] instances. I have no idea how I even finished the game, to be honest, after watching that replay. I lost all explosiveness … a lot of my game was on the perimeter after that. I've just got to get treatment, around the clock, and see what happens day-to-day, but it's pretty sore right now."

Not a good sign for fans of the purple and gold.

And if the Lakers do sneak into a play-in game, Nick Wright says it won't be by their own doing.

"The Lakers have no tiebreakers left," Wright said Monday on "First Things First."

"This is a terrible team. They do not have a puncher's chance."

Chris Broussard, who first championed the "puncher's chance" argument, threw in the towel on his previous take as well.

"It's over ladies and gentlemen — let's go home!" he said.

"Check out their [remaining] schedule. Among the top 11 seeds in each conference, the Lakers have the worst road record. They have five of their last eight on the road. They've got Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, Golden State and Denver on the road. I don't think they're making the play-in."

Skip Bayless aimed the blame in James' direction for Sunday's crumple.

"You routinely see [James] routinely running out of gas," Bayless said.

"He does have a history of making excuses when they lose, and [his ankle] felt like an exaggerated excuse. You can't tell me he was worn out. It's not like they were playing a back-to-back. The Pelicans were playing a back-to-back.

"They just could not get it back," Bayless added. "There have been at least a dozen games this year that I thought LeBron should've closed, and he did not."

The Lakers' upcoming schedule is second to just one other squad in terms of difficulty. Their eight remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .569, while the Spurs have the 13th-hardest strength of schedule, and the Pelicans have the 23rd.

And with James nursing a bum ankle, it's going to be awfully hard for this team to make a strong push toward the checkered flag — then, win in the play-in round.