Anthony Davis is ‘very confident’ the Lakers will make it to the playoffs this season

Even though the Lakers have been playing their best basketball of the current regular season, they lost this past Sunday against the Timberwolves 127-117. Nevertheless, they still record 9-2 in their last 11 contests and are currently sitting in the ninth position (45-34) of the Western Conference standings, while the Warriors are stepping on their ankles with a 43-35 mark. 

Despite the West enduring one of the most contested regular seasons in years, team star Anthony Davis is convinced that the purple and gold are destined for playoffs this year. “We’re very confident in our ballclub,” he said on Saturday after putting up 22 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals against the Cavs.

“We laugh about, like, ‘Oh, winning nine out of 10,’ and we haven’t went anywhere [in the standings]. So, it’s how good the West is. But we’re confident, very confident in our ballclub and any time we step on the floor,” he revealed about the general feel in their locker room.

There seems to be some optimism that Anthony Davis will be able to play tomorrow night.https://t.co/VeWXA73ug9 pic.twitter.com/lovflUQrFE

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) April 8, 2024

With just two games separating the No. 6 Suns from the No. 8 Kings, anything can happen in their conference. This Tuesday however, they’ll play a potential Play-in matchup against Golden State, which might just define who will have homecourt advantage during the next round.

“I think the biggest difference is just that we’re just having fun,” the big man said about his team’s recent success. “We’re holding each other accountable. If somebody messes up we’re yelling, screaming at him. But nobody is taking it personal. Because we all know what we’re here for, to try to win. So we’re having fun, we’re having a great time out there playing basketball, and we’re staying together.”

When asked about what is the key to finish out strong down the stretch, coach Darvin Ham thinks it has a lot to do with taking care of the team while maintaining a high level.

“Just take care of us, that’s the biggest thing,” he shared this weekend. “Everything else will take care of itself. We’ll fall exactly in the spot we’re supposed to fall. But the key is for us to be playing at a high level on both sides of the ball. We saw that on the defensive end tonight.”

Superstar LeBron James had to sit out Sunday’s game against the Wolves because of flu-like symptoms

The oldest active player in the NBA has been playing like a young baller lately, but that doesn’t mean he’s invincible. This past Sunday he woke up with flu-like symptoms, so his coach decided he should rest against Minnesota. Unfortunately, they lost this important clash in California, missing his 11th match of the campaign.

The L.A. club have now gone 6-5 without LeBron James in its lineup. “Just a next man up mentality,” Darvin Ham explained after announcing his decision. “Obviously, that’s a lot of work that’s left out of the lineup. But at the end of the day, we just got to be ready to manage it, and different guys have to be ready to step up.”

Despite not seeing any action, the 39-year-old reported to the Crypto.com Arena that afternoon to begin his pregame workouts, but finally decided to return to his home due to a stomach virus.

“He came to start his process today, and I think he left early,” the coach insisted. “He just wasn’t feeling well.”