Another day, another loss as the Lakers fall to 2-4 inside the Disney bubble. It no. 1st seed of the Western Conference may have locked up her playoff position, but if she continues to play this way, her stay in the postseason will not be long. The Indiana Pacers beat them 116-111 by scoring another result from TJ Warren. He closed the game with 39, bringing his Orlando average to 38.4 points in five games.
He may have been the brightest star on the floor, but he was not the only one. LeBron James turned in his best performance in the bubble with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but his co-star did not stop his end of the bargain. Anthony Davis scored just eight points on shots at 3-of-14, and despite Quinn Cook’s five 3-pointers and a fun show by rookie Talen Horton-Tucker, the Lakers were unable to secure the victory.
Their own seed may have been set, but the Lakers now have only two games left to get back on course before their first round begins. Indiana has three more to play, two of which will come against the team that tracks them directly in the standings track, the Miami Heat. They can finish as high as no. 4 and as low as no. 6, but if Warren continues to shoot like that, they’ll be a threat to whoever they draw. Here are the main takeaways from tonight’s game.
Pacers have made difficult decisions to make in light of this Warren thing
See, there’s always a chance this is just a hot streak. It could be a fluke. TJ Warren could be his old self again when next season begins. He could be his old self again tomorrow. Or, as always seems likely, this is exactly who TJ Warren is when he plays the right position. Warren has played 60 percent of his minutes on small forward this season, but with Domantas Sabonis out, he shoots forward to power and reaps the benefits.
The worst thing about what he’s doing at the moment is that it’s not just about isolations or pick-and-roll opportunities like most great scorers. He just exists in a great crime, cuts and screens and takes advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Because of how small and fast the Pacers are playing right now, he finds a lot of them. Typically, small-ball comes with a defensive compromise, but with Warren on the floor in Orlando, the Pacers allowed only 102.8 points per 100 possessions in their first four games.
Indiana caught lightning in a bottle here, and it’s time to seriously ask what they can do to maximize it. Domantas Sabonis was an All-Star this season. Myles Turner is a better shooter and defender, and therefore fits Warren. Should one of them join in to completely release Warren next season? By no fault of their own, both expenses have become. The Pacers have had some tough decisions for them this offseason.
At least LeBron got back on track
Bubble-Bron started slowly on Saturday ahead of it to raise legitimate questions about its possible postseason performance. It’s understandable. LeBron is 35 and is a being of habit. He said his body “turned the corner” just before the shutdown. It was not told what would happen to him four months later. After averaging just 19.3 points on 42 percent shooting in the first four Laker games in Orlando, it would have been fair to suggest that he had a long way to go physically.
Saturday was the proof that James, if not around the corner, is at least making progress toward playoff conditioning. The 31 points were impressive, but more importantly, he took 24 shots and played 35 minutes in a very competitive match. LeBron was already passive in Orlando early on. Now we see why. This was a slow progression, but one that is starting to pay off with the MVP candidate we saw all year long geared up for the postseason.
Two games away from playoffs and rotation of Lakers not yet clear
It would be one thing to experiment in the first game as two in Orlando, but the closer we get to the playoffs, the less certain Frank Vogel seems to be in his rotation. The Lakers have outscored opponents by 6.6 points per 100 possessions with Dion Waiters on the floor, the best number on the team in Orlando, but he sat out Saturday in favor of Quinn Cook, who in five minutes five 3- pointers made. That will only further confuse matters, especially with Rajon Rondo returning. Languages Horton-Tucker has now played significant games two games in a row, and Vogel seems open to giving him playoff minutes. Markieff Morris is in and out of the lineup. Lately, so has Jared Dudley.
You get eight spots in the playoffs. Maybe nine. That’s it. Dissolving benches is one of the easiest ways to lose a series, but for now, all we can definitely say about the Laker lineup on any given day is that James and Davis will be a big part of it. Else? All bets are off, and Vogel is running on time to determine who his best eight or nine players are.
