Editor’s note: This is the Monday March 14 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Hello from the road, which has been a sad place to be for the Lakers lately:

WEEK IN REVIEW

Monday, L, San Antonio Spurs 117, Lakers 110

Wednesday, L (OT), Houston Rockets 139, Lakers 130

Friday, W, Lakers 122, Washington Wizards 109

Sunday, L, Phoenix Suns 140, Lakers 111

The Lakers (29-38) are No. 9 in the Western Conference standings, 24.5 games behind the first-place Phoenix Suns (54-14). They are 5.5 games behind the No. 8Clippers (36-34) for a single-elimination spot in the play-in tournament, 1.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans (28-40) in 10th place, and 2.5 games in ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (26-40) out of the play-in tournament.

HIGH POINT: A referendum on the summer trade between the Lakers and the Wizards was flattened by another 50-point game for LeBron James, who took just three-and-a-half minutes to score 15 points in the third quarter and abruptly flip the game around. It had to be encouraging for Lakers fans – in addition to James’ vintage performance –to see Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves stepping up in the fourth quarter to knock off Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Wizards.

LOW POINT: The Lakers’ first road win since January was well within their reach as they had a final look against the Houston Rockets in regulation – unfortunately Carmelo Anthony couldn’t bury them. Then Jalen Green and the NBA’s worst team by record torched their guests for 19 points in overtime, blowing the Lakers out of the water in a game they had every chance to grasp. It’s been a trend that the Lakers can’t close late, and it was especially disheartening that they couldn’t do it against a tanking franchise.

TRENDING TOPIC: We’re reaching the point in LeBron James’ career where only huge milestones lie ahead. And there’s no doubt that James is chasing them: On Sunday, he became the only player to have at least 10,000 points, rebounds and assists. As he walked into his postgame press conference, he had the game ball commemorating the feat with sharpie and his signature, bound for his collection that is spread out through Ohio and California.

James’ career will be remembered far longer than this season – but it’s hard to separate the two while we’re still in the midst of a campaign that increasingly seems to be going nowhere. Perhaps no one understands that as keenly as James, who lobbied behind the scenes for moves at the trade deadline. After the Suns demolished the Lakers on a night he scored 31 points, James was lukewarm about how much Anthony Davis’ return changes the calculus for the team – departing distinctly from how Frank Vogel and Davis himself have talked about the potential of the group becoming whole again.

“It’s going to be challenging for us,” he said. “AD definitely helps, but it’s not the answer to all the questions.”

James’ nightly performances have a bit of a split to them, especially if you’re watching the difference between his offensive effort and his defense. James has been as guilty as anyone of not rotating, of watching opponents grab offensive rebounds, of not being in the right spot or challenging shots. It’s common to see him staring at the sideline in frustration after the Lakers give up a score, as if to gesture to the coaching staff or teammates that nothing is working.

As much as he may want to signal otherwise, James is only human. Like anyone, he feels overwhelmed, dispirited and upset by the bottom line. His effort on defense often reflects those emotional states, and a huge problem for the team is that other players take cues from how he’s leading (or not leading).

And yet on other goals, James still is on a firm march: He’s now just 104 points behind Karl Malone for overtaking the No. 2 scorer in NBA history, on track to hit that this week. He’s just a hair behind Joel Embiid competing for his second NBA scoring title (his first was in 2008).

It seems meaningful that the only two wins since All-Star break have both seen James score at least 50 points. The things James is competing for the hardest seem to be reflections of his individual greatness – and if the Lakers can win out of that, so be it. It’s less clear if James is still chasing anything of note for team results this season. His play and words don’t seem to reflect a belief that a turnaround is imminent.

READ OF THE WEEK: The biggest swing piece remaining to the Lakers is the healthy return of Anthony Davis. Ahead of starting on-court work this week, Davis spoke to reporters in Phoenix about experiencing his foot sprain, rehabbing and how LeBron is driving him to compete while he’s still in his prime.

HEATING UP: At the risk of overstating what Austin Reaves has meant to the Lakers this season, it is inarguable that the rookie is now an essential piece. Since All-Star break, he’s been entrenched as a starter, and he’s answered the call most nights. In the last week, Reaves averaged 13 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. His shooting stroke (32.8% on threes) needs to get more reliable, and in future seasons Reaves has to build his body to be able to physically compete. But for a first-year player, he’s exceeded all reasonable expectations.

COOLING DOWN: The rotation has tightened up, and it’s unclear exactly what role Avery Bradley plays within it. It’s not really that he’s fallen off; he got pushed out of the starting lineup out of a need to have more scoring. It’s a tricky line to thread for the veteran defensive specialist: He’s not enough of a shooting threat as to command a lot of defensive attention, but when he shoots too much, the Lakers’ offense bogs down. It’s hard for the Lakers to play him alongside Russell Westbrook, crunching the opposing defense into the paint. His role getting squeezed since the All-Star break can be seen as another representation of how the pieces on the roster are often an ill fit.

INJURY REPORT: Anthony Davis is inching closer to recovery, starting on-court work. But as expected, recovery from his foot sprain is likely going to take him until close to the end of the regular season to fully recover. He’s probably weeks away, not days. There’s been no update on Kendrick Nunn, who the Lakers most recently said they hoped to return by late March. LeBron James’ knee and Talen Horton-Tucker’s ankle remain day-to-day concerns that they’ve been playing through.

QUOTABLE: The Lakers have been delivering a lot of platitudes lately, but Malik Monk vented about how meaningless they’ve become: “We have 10 road losses (in a row) and everybody is tired of it. We all talk about it. We all say the things, man. We just gotta go out there and do the right things, man. And play with a sense of urgency. And actually just try, man. Sometimes I don’t think we try enough, including myself. So, yeah, man, we just gotta, I don’t know. We gotta get it together, man. That’s all I gotta say. I’m sick of saying that (expletive), though.”

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: The Lakers have some opportunities to finally break through on the road this week: None of their opponents are higher than seventh in the standings. As mentioned above, James will likely make a go at Malone (36,928 points) in regular season history, potentially in Toronto or D.C. It seems up to the Lakers how much effort they want to expend. Vogel seemed particularly frustrated by not being heard after the Phoenix game: “How we performed to start the game, the whole night, is unacceptable.”

COMING UP (All times PT)

Monday, Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

Friday, at Toronto, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, at Washington, 5 p.m.

– Kyle Goon

Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

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