Three things to Know: Can Lakers still make playoffs despite LeBron’s injury?

Three Things To Know is NBC’s five-days-a-week wrap-up of the night before in the NBA. Check out NBCSports.com every weekday morning to catch up on what you missed the night before plus the rumors, drama, and dunks that make the NBA must-watch.

This photo strikes at the heart of Lakers fans.

LeBron James on the Lakers bench tonight wearing a walking boot on his right foot. pic.twitter.com/eUCvTHUops

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 1, 2023

After the trade deadline, the new-look Lakers with their improved roster were hitting their stride. However, there was always a lot of work to do to climb back into the playoffs, there was not much margin for error.

Then came the word LeBron James would be out weeks with a foot injury. News of the injury led to a lot of “the Lakers are done” talk around the league.

But are they?

“The mission has not changed for us,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, via the Associated Press.

It is possible the 12th-seed Lakers could push through the coming weeks, playing well enough to give LeBron reason to come back as quickly as he can for a postseason run — the Lakers remain just one game out of the 10 seed. However, to get there the Lakers need wins — instead, they racked up a loss against the Grizzlies Tuesday night. The Lakers had no answer for Ja Morant, who scored 28 in the third quarter alone on his way to 39 points and a triple-double for the game, and the Grizzlies picked up a 121-109 win.

What a night for Ja Morant