For the majority of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling to keep their heads above water. They’ve dealt with injuries, they’ve dealt with drama, but most importantly, they just haven’t been very good.
Despite all that, they are still sitting in a position to compete for a play-in spot. That might not be the ideal position for a LeBron James-led team to be in, but it’s where they’re at right now.
They still have time to earn a play-in spot, get into the playoffs from there, and make some noise in the postseason. At least, that was the case until Thursday night.
Reggie Jackson may have just ended the Los Angeles Lakers season
The Lakers took on the LA Clippers on Thursday in what was a crucial game that would play major role in determining both teams’ seeding heading into the postseason.
The Clippers sit just one spot above the Lakers in the standings, though they were admittedly a few games up. But regardless, if the Lakers were able to pull out a win, it could help give them hope for the future.
But they crumbled.
Not only did they crumble, but the Lakers essentially let one man take them down by himself – Reggie Jackson. The Clippers point guard dominated all night long, took 30 shots, and almost single-handedly ended the Lakers’ season.
Jackson finished the game with a season-high 36 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists while shooting 14-of-30 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range.
He had some help, as five other Clippers players finished with double-digit scoring numbers, but no one else besides him managed to notch 20.
And for the Lakers, their season is now in serious jeopardy. They are 5.5 games back of the Clippers for the eighth seed, but only two games up on the Portland Trail Blazers in the 11th seed.
In fact, the Lakers are closer in the standings to the 13th-seeded Sacramento Kings than they are to catching the Clippers just one spot above them. That’s definitely not ideal.
So, as the season winds to a close, Jackson may have just put a bow on this mess of a Lakers season. His 36-point night might have been enough to snuff out any fire that was still burning.