The Los Angeles Lakers are all but out of it, but they still might stand in the Kings' way in the race for the NBA postseason.
After the Lakers' playoff hopes took a huge hit in a 113-105 loss to the cross-town Clippers, LeBron James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin he isn't planning on resting during the stretch.
"That would take a lot of convincing from Luke [Walton] on up," James said. "Unless I'm hurt, I'm not sitting games."
The Kings are 2.5 games and two spots in the standings ahead of the Lakers in the Western Conference, and a LeBron-led charge to overtake them is a decreasingly small possibility. But, James could still stand in their way en route to the playoffs.
The Lakers and Kings will square off in Los Angeles on March 24, and James has had plenty of success playing Sacramento. In his career, James has averaged 26.5 points, 8.4 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game against the Kings. He also has a 20-7 record against Sacramento, and the Lakers have won two of three this season.
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It remains to be seen how engaged James -- and his Lakers teammates -- are by the time the Kings finally see them. It's not hard to envision Los Angeles' season spiraling further in the nearly three weeks between this writing, and when the season series wraps up.
But as long as James is still playing, he's an obstacle the Kings will have to overcome.
