Anthony Davis: Lakers Have Everything in Place for a Run

All the talk lately has been about whether the Lakers can not only make the playoffs — but g the distance. As in, all the way to the championship.

Sounds silly for a team that enters Friday’s road game against the Timberwolves at 38-38. In fact, the Lakers haven’t been among the top-eight spots in the Western Conference for most of the season. They’ve barely been in the running for the play-in spot.

But even at .500, they are just 1.5 games back of the Warriors for the No. 6 seed. That would mean avoiding the play-in altogether.

Can the Lakers actually do it? 

Well, they definitely have the star power in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They definitely are getting a lift from the likes of Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and others. And they undoubtedly are feeling good about themselves entering the season’s final stretch.

“I think we’ve got everything we need. It’s just about going out and applying it,” Davis said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We can definitely make a run. We’ve got all the right pieces from top to bottom.”

Now, before everyone gets too excited, just know that you still never know what to expect from the Lakers from one night to the next. They lost to the Bulls at home … then throttled them a few nights later on the road.

It’s been that way much of the season, even after the February trades that shook up the roster. The Lakers are banking on that coming to an end.

It all starts with the Timberwolves (39-38), who just happen to sit in eight in the Western Conference, or a half-game ahead of LA.

Minnesota has been playing well lately, too.

“Seeing as the situation that we’re in, we need to win these games,’ Davis said, via McMenamin. “So this is a time where we shouldn’t shy away from the moment. We should embrace it and these are the moments that you live for as a player.”

For the Lakers, clearly, the playoffs have already begun.