LeBron James is fighting to secure a place for yet another playoff with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the road is getting tougher for him with each loss.
After the Lakers lost 119-117 against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, March 27, his former teammate Kendrick Perkins has questioned the superstar’s health status.
Kendrick Perkins Suggests Lebron James Isn’t 100% as the Lakers Lose on the Road
In a thrilling contest, the Bulls pulled off a miraculous comeback, scoring nine points in the final 10 seconds of the game. This loss has put the Lakers in fourth seed position with a 44-29 record.
Perkins, during his appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” blasted the Lakers while highlighting that the franchise could find itself in a hole it won’t be able to dig out by the end of the season due to its grueling schedule.
“The Lakers are in trouble,” he said. “That was a game last night that they needed to win, and they were supposed to win. And JJ was right. It’s devastating, not just because the way that they lost, but because he’s looking into the near future and what’s and what’s going on.”
Perkins highlighted that the Lakers are only 2.5 games ahead of the play-in tournament seed at No. 7, and the competition is heating up. The Lakers have a demanding schedule ahead of them, and their playoff picture isn’t positive.
Five of their nine remaining games are on the road, including twice at home against the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma Thunders. Los Angeles will also play two games against the current No. 2 seed, the Houston Rockets; however, both of these will be at the Crypto.com Arena.
Perkins then dug into the issue of the Lakers superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James. “Luca still not being in great shape, he’s still gonna put the numbers up, but he’s still not in great shape,” Perkins added. “And here’s the most important thing, LeBron James is not healthy.”
"The Lakers are in trouble." 😳 @KendrickPerkins and @stephenasmith react to the final seconds of the Lakers' 119-117 loss to the Bulls. pic.twitter.com/rUysIVSGFi
— First Take (@FirstTake)
“LeBron James is not healthy. I think he’s probably about 70-75%. So again, we’re talking about at a time where you’re supposed to be peaking right going into the postseason, and the Lakers are trending backwards.”
The Lakers, led by James, will look to put the gut-wrenching loss against the Bulls behind them and focus on their path toward the playoffs and home-court advantage. Next, they will face off against the No. 5 seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
The game on Saturday will end their four-game road trip. The teams will clash at FedExForum on Saturday, March 28.
