LeBron James has played in eight straight NBA Finals and hasn’t missed the postseason since his first two seasons in the league with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, it’s looking more and more likely that LeBron’s first season with the Lakers will end on April 9 against Portland.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Lakers less than a one percent chance of reaching the playoffs. That number will shrink should Los Angeles lose at home to the Denver Nuggets in Wednesday’s marquee NBA game. There was some talk that the Lakers might add 10-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony (a buddy of LeBron’s) for the final six weeks or so of the season, but that has been put on hold with the team’s playoff chances so remote.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, are battling the Golden State Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference. Denver and the Lakers split two early-season meetings, each winning at home. This is the finale between them as Los Angeles looks for its first season series win over the Nuggets since the 2011-12 season. The home team is on an eight-game cover streak in the series.