In this crazy season, Game 5 is amust-win for the Lakers.
They have a 3-1 series lead over the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. They’re going to have multiple chances to clinch. They’re firmly in control.
This season, nothing has gone as expected for the Lakers.Nothing has made sense. Nothing adds up.
For a long time, the Lakers looked like they were a play-in team. Then they somehow figured things out and went ona stunning 16-2 run this spring.
Suddenly they were title contenders.
Just when we digested that wild turn of events, they lost Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) to injuries with five games remaining in the regular season.
That left our heads reeling. They had no chance in the postseason without their top-two scorers. Scribes were writing the Lakers’ obituaries before they even played Game 1.
But wait,ready for another plot twist?
About an hour before the series opener, we found out that Kevin Durant — who only missed four regular-season games — would miss Game 1 because of a knee injury he sustained in practice. He’d go on to also miss Games 3 and 4 due to a left ankle sprain.
All of a sudden, the hapless Lakers featuring a 41-year-old LeBron James and a bunch of role players had a 3-0 series lead over the Rockets before losing Game 4 on Sunday, 115-96.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
