The Los Angeles Lakers continue to battle for the second seed in the Western Conference. Right now, they are tied for the third seed, and just a game out of no. 2. The battle for home-court advantage in the playoffs will last until the final game. After playing in a brutal stretch, Luka Doncic believes that rest is the most important thing for the Lakers right now.
Luka Doncic Says Rest Most Important For Lakers Right Now
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin recently spoke with Jarred Vanderbilt and asked him what the most important thing for the team is right now. Of course, racking up some wins and climbing higher in the standings is always important. But Vando talked about getting healthy as the team’s top priority.
“Getting healthy, that would be No. 1,” Vanderbilt said. “Getting healthy, getting rest, with this stretch, and try to get some reps together. The main thing is just getting healthy.”
McMenamin added that while he interviewed Vanderbilt, Luka chimed in off-camera with only one word to add: “Rest.”
While all teams need rest, the Lakers went through one of the most brutal stretches in the league. With the game against the Bucks tonight, they will conclude their sixth game in eight days. Two of them were on the road, and six were at home. They lost the road games to Milwaukee and Denver and won at home against Phoenix, San Antonio, and the Nuggets. Tonight, they have a chance to avenge their recent loss to the Bucks.
Luka is Out Against the Bucks
Luka Doncic will not play Thursday night against the Bucks, managing a sprained right ankle.
The game is the second of a back-to-back for Los Angeles. Luka recently missed another game during those six games in eight days, the loss to Denver last week. So far, the Lakers have gone 3-2, and if they beat the Bucks tonight, it will be a great accomplishment. With LeBron James out with an injury, the Lakers have leaned on Luka and Austin Reaves to carry the load. The latter will have to go from a third option to first option now.
The Lakers are the only team to play as many games in so few days due to the postponed game against the Spurs in January, which was due to the LA wildfires.
Lakers’ Schedule Might Allow For Some Rest
Depending on when LeBron James comes back from his injury, the Lakers can absolutely give some rest to Luka Doncic. They have a couple of easy games in the last week of March. Now that Luka is out against the Bucks, they might give him a game or two more.
The Lakers welcome the Chicago Bulls on Saturday before heading for a short East Coast trip. They play in Orlando, Indiana, and Chicago during that span. All four of those games are against teams that have a worse record than the Lakers. And aside from the Indiana game, all are winnable even without Doncic. If the Lakers sit Luka against the Bulls in Los Angeles, he will get three to four days of rest before the next game.
They also have a few April games where they can rest players. The Lakers play the New Orleans Pelicans at home and visit Dallas and Portland.
© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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