LeBron James’s up-and-down Lakers era reached another low point Tuesday night, as Los Angeles was eliminated from playoff contention with a 121–110 loss to Phoenix.
It’s the second time in James’s four years with the Lakers that the team hasn’t qualified for the playoffs after James had previously missed postseason play twice in his previous 15 seasons. Los Angeles also won a championship in the COVID-19 bubble in Orlando In Oct. 2020 and was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round last year, coincidentally also by the Suns.
The 10th-seed Spurs dominated the Nuggets earlier Tuesday, meaning the Lakers—who were missing James with an ankle injury—needed to avoid losing their seventh game in a row to stay within striking distance of San Antonio with three games to play.