Los Angeles rallied from a 27-point, second quarter deficit to stun the Mavericks in Dallas 111-108. Anthony Davis had 30 points while LeBron James added 26. The Lakers won their fourth in five games by turning a Mavericks laugher into a nail-biter that featured 13 lead changes in the fourth quarter. And by the way, NBA teams were 0-138 when trailing by 27-points or more. Make that 1-138 now.
With this third straight win coupled with some other losses in the West, the Lakers are up to 11th, one game back of New Orleans for 10th, and 2.5 back of Dallas for 6th. pic.twitter.com/IRqquXxQw8
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 26, 2023
It’s Crunch Time
They’ve got 21 games left in the season. If this victory, a mammoth comeback in hostile territory, to a playoff caliber team no less doesn’t jump-start a serious playoff push, nothing will.
What do you think of Rob Pelinka now? He’s taken some well-deserved heat for some seriously head-scratching decisions. Since it’s been well documented and debated into the ground, we’ll just mention the Russell Westbrook in passing.
There have been other questionable decisions. Like letting Alex Caruso leave as a free agent or failing to land Kyle Lowery. Especially concerning was never surrounding LeBron James with players who could actually shoot.
Pelinka Deserves Some Credit
But at the recent trade deadline, he did better. Maybe not full atonement for the past three years but he definitely took a step in the right direction directing a handful of solid deals which finally have the Lakers pointed in the right direction.
Getting rid of Westbrook was the first step and now he’s the Clippers headache. Patrick Beverly was never a good fit and he his camera are better off in Chicago. What Pelinka did was improve team chemistry by ridding the team of those players. He improved the quality of the team by acquiring Rui Hachimura, Malik Beasley, and Russell. Austin Reaves is another Pelinka signee who has contributed valuable minutes.
Are LBJ and A.D. ready for the final push
Pelinka has put together a roster that should make the playoffs. Now James and Davis need to stay healthy and do the rest. LA’s road trip continues on Tuesday in Memphis. The Grizzlies led by Ja Morant are among the top 3 seeds in the Western Conference.
Not including Sunday’s victory in Dallas, 538.com is giving the Lakers a 49% chance of making the playoffs.
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