LeBron, Davis, Russell Play, but Lakers Lose (Again) to the Clippers, Five Seed Out of Reach

Coming off an overtime win on Tuesday night in Utah in which the Lakers used far, far more energy and effort than hoped, there was some question as to whether or not LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both nursing injuries, would play Wednesday against the Clippers. This despite it being a really, really, REALLY important game in the Western Conference standings. Win, and the Lakers would have a very good chance of finishing in the Top 6 out West, and avoiding the play-in entirely. Lose and it's much more likely they're in the mini-tournament, and risk dropping into the quite unwanted eight or nine seed. Well, they lost to the Clippers. Again. For the 11th straight time, this time 125-118. Clearly, the Lakers were tired. Very, very tired. And they were tired in part because of that OT game they ought not to have had to play. And LeBron in particular looked like he was running in mud for the first half. It was about as bad as he's looked, certainly as a Laker, perhaps through most of his career, over 24 minutes. He made up for it in the second half, but it was an effort that put the Lakers in a hole. He wasn't alone, though. A bunch of Lakers were less than great, and clearly fighting fatigue. Did Darvin Ham make a mistake by leaving the starters in as long as he did? The game wasn't really out of reach for the most part, but they were definitely playing uphill. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The Lakes lose, again, to the Clippers. And fatigue played a role. SEGMENT 2: So where are the Lakers in the standings now? What comes next? SEGMENT 3: Why did Darvin keep the starters in so long? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! ebay Motors For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.  BetterHelp This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOnNBA and get on your way to being your best self. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. Ultimate Pro Basketball GM To download the game just visit probasketballgm.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store. PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices