Beaten Lakers fight to extend season

LOS ANGELES • The prospect of the Los Angeles Lakers being caught in the race to stay in play-off contention does not sit well with Russell Westbrook.

Joel Embiid scored a game-high 30 points, while James Harden contributed 24 points as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers escaped a test from the Lakers squad playing without LeBron James to prevail 126-121 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday.

Despite the plucky display, the hosts dropped to 31-42 in the Western Conference, just one place and 1/2 game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans in 10th.

As things stand, the teams finishing seventh to 10th in the regular season will have to navigate a play-in tournament to qualify for the play-off proper.

The Los Angeles Clippers, in eighth, are 41/2 games ahead of the Lakers, so catching them will be a tall order.

Instead, the Lakers have to focus their efforts on keeping hold of ninth spot, as dropping to 10th will mean that they will lose home-court advantage should they secure the play-in berth.

The 11th-placed San Antonio Spurs are also not far behind, just two games back from the Lakers.

So Sunday's game at New Orleans is shaping up to be a win-or-bust situation, according to Westbrook.

The All-Star guard, who had 24 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and seven turnovers against the Sixers, said: "It's going to be a playoff-type of atmosphere for us because it's definitely a must-win, I believe, for our group."

The Lakers will be hopeful several days of rest will be enough for James to shake off his sore knee.

It has been a bitterly disappointing season for the 2020 NBA winners, touted as one of the championship front runners last summer.

But reserve big man Dwight Howard, who scored 24 points - his most in a game since November 2018 - to match Westbrook for the top mark on the team, is not throwing in the towel yet.

"I'm never going to give up," he said. "I don't think any of us feels like the season is just over with. We're going to do whatever we can to make it.

"It's not been the season that we've all wanted. It took us a real long time to really gel, but there's nothing we can do now but just stay positive, keep fighting."

In Memphis, Desmond Bane and De'Anthony Melton scored 23 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who blew an 18-point lead before executing down the stretch in a 132-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Despite getting 43 points from Kyrie Irving and 35 from Kevin Durant, the Nets could not get the better of a Memphis team missing All-Star guard Ja Morant.

The Grizzlies reached 50 wins for the fifth time in their franchise history and improved to 15-2 in games without Morant this term.

REUTERS