The Los Angeles Lakers have come down to their final regular season game, and though their fate is still up in the air, they'll need to pull out a win Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets.
"It's come down to it's in our hands and that's kind of what we've been playing for and we've wanted, so here it is," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said after practice Tuesday. "Let's go out and get it and take care of our own destiny."
If they pull out the win they will be guaranteed the No.7 seed, as they could tie the Rockets in wins, but spilt the regular season record 2-2. Right now they're in competition with the Utah Jazz, but if both teams lose tonight the Lakers will have earned the No.8 seed.
However, if Utah beats the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday on the road, and the Lakers lose, Los Angeles will fail to qualify for the postseason.
On Tuesday the Lakers announced that they'll be without veteran guard Steve Nash, who has missed the last seven consecutive games due to hamstring issues and soreness around his hip. MRI scans discovered the severity of the injury, according to the Lakers:
"El Segundo - Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Nash underwent an MRI exam, which confirmed several preexisting issues related to his hip and back, which are causing nerve irritation and contributing to his hamstring pain and weakness. Nash received an epidural injection this morning, and will not play in tomorrow night's game against the Houston Rockets. It is hopeful that he will be able to return to play in the next several days."
Nash has missed 32 games this season for the Lakers due to various injuries, but the team remains hopeful that he can rejoin the lineup during the postseason.
The Lakers also received an update on forward Jordan Hill, who went down in January with a hip injury. Hill underwent surgery and has been out since, rehabbing and hoping to return in time for the playoffs.
While whether or not the team will make the playoffs remains up in the air, Hill announced on his Twitter account that he will be back to running at full speed and drills in a matter of two days.
Hill averaged 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 29 games played for the Lakers this season.
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