The Los Angeles Lakers are still mathematically alive in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs, but it appears the team is preparing to throw in the towel.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the Lakers and LeBron James have agreed to a minutes restriction moving forward. Furthermore, it's unlikely that the four-time MVP will play in any more back-to-back games down the stretch.
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Though LeBron reached another milestone in his career Wednesday night, as he surpassed Michael Jordan for fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, the Lakers suffered another crucial L at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
As a result of the 115-99 loss, the Lakers are now sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference at 30-35. With 17 games remaining, the team is 6.5 games back of the eighth seeded Los Angeles Clippers, and they're closer record-wise to the Memphis Grizzlies, who have the sixth worst record in the league.
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LeBron, 34, is averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8 assists in 47 games this season. He also averages the seventh most minutes per game with 35.6 minutes per.
Up next for the Lakers is a Saturday night matchup against the Celtics in Boston, a game which will air on ABC at 8:30pm ET. There are three back-to-back games remaining on the Lakers schedule, so it's likely James will miss at least three more games and possibly more once they are officially eliminated from playoff contention.
