Do or Die!

In what was really a do or die game for the Lakers (most of them are now), they managed to best the Pelicans 125-119 at the Staples Center Wednesday night.

Coming off the back of intense public scrutiny, the Lakers were able to hold on down the stretch thanks to some big plays from Bullock, Ingram and James who hit a dagger three from the corner.

It was a crucial win for the Lakers in their desperate push for a playoff berth, as with that win it puts them three games outside the eighth seed. As it stands there is a bit of a log from seventh down to 10th with only three games separating them...

It's certainly shaping up to be frantic last push for that elusive playoff spot that these teams some desperately desire. The Lakers also have the toughest run home out of these teams, meaning that if they are given a sniff in any of these games against seeded opponents they MUST take them. The reserve of that is that any teams that aren’t in playoff contention they MUST also execute accordingly and not give any of these teams a look in either.

The table below outlines the current predicament for the playoff contending teams. With around 20 games remaining for these teams, any slips ups will be incredibly costly.

On the back of performances like that last night from the Lakers though, they are every chance of making it. It was certainly one of the most well rounded team performances with all five starters making valuable contributions.

Ingram: 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists

Kuzma: 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists

Bullock: 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals

Rondo: 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 16 assists

James: 33 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists

And for them to truly make a legitimate push, it's crucial that these players as well as McGee, Caldwell-Pope, Stephenson, Muscala, and Chandler all continue to provide.

The Lakers though still seem a little lost on the defensive end without Lonzo Ball. This making it more and more pivitiotal that the rest of the team pick up the slack and leave that role to no one man.

With James looking to engage "playoff" mode it's essential that he has the cast to back him up, and that everyone’s goal and aspirations are aligned.

Time will tell whether this team is a one man show, or a well rounded team that could be respectable adversaries to anyone should they make the playoffs...

That being said, the journey won’t be getting any easier any time soon, as the Lakers take on the rampant Milwaukee Bucks tonight.

Tune in to see whether the Bucks run rampant or if the Lakers can put the rest of the competition on notice.

Thank you for reading.