Luka Doncic will return to the Lakers tomorrow! The Lakers have only a 14% chance of defeating the Rockets and advancing to the second round.

Ultimately, the Los Angeles Lakers finished the regular season with a 53-29 record, placing fourth in the Western Conference and earning home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs, where their opponent is the Houston Rockets.

Lakers head coach Redick stated yesterday regarding the first-round matchup against the Rockets: "We will prepare thoroughly, give our all, and aim to win the series. Over the next 4-5 days, we will do everything possible to get our players into optimal mental and physical condition, ready for the big battle."

Rockets head coach Udoka discussed facing James: "We are well aware that the Lakers' burden rests heavily on his shoulders. Obviously, we will use multiple rotations and various defensive strategies to target him. Despite the team being plagued by injuries, he has still performed at a very high level. We also know this situation will persist throughout the upcoming series."

The promotional poster for the Lakers-Rockets series inevitably reminds people of the 2018 Cavaliers.

Back then, James at his peak carried the Cavaliers to the Finals. Now, eight years later, James is no longer 34 years old, and his competitive level and physical condition are not sufficient to single-handedly carry the current Lakers to the Finals.

According to predictions from the renowned sports media ESPN, the Lakers have only a 1.1% probability of reaching the Finals. The probabilities for other Western Conference teams are as follows: Thunder 61.9%, Spurs 30.7%, Nuggets 4.0%, Rockets 1.6%, Timberwolves 0.5%, Suns/Trail Blazers/Clippers/Warriors 0.1%.

If the Lakers can promptly welcome back Doncic and Reaves, their probability of reaching the Finals would significantly increase.

Today, renowned reporter Shams provided the latest updates on these two injured Lakers players: "As I understand, Doncic spent most of the past week in Spain. He received multiple injections for his hamstring. Sources indicate Doncic will return to the U.S. on Wednesday, and the team will then reevaluate him." "Reaves will miss most of the first-round playoff games; his earliest return is likely in the first week of May. So now, the Lakers face a very tough task in the first round against the Rockets."

The implication is that Doncic might return earlier than Reaves. If the Lakers-Rockets series can extend to a sixth or seventh game, the Lakers still have a good chance of advancing to the second round.

The prediction platform Kalshi updated today the advancement probabilities for the LakersRocketsseries: the Rockets are at 86%, while the Lakers are only 14%.

Commentator Stephen A. Smith believes the Lakers might be swept by the Rockets: "Without Doncic and Reaves, the Lakers won't last more than five games; they might even be swept."

Former NBA player Parsons thinks that if James can lead the Lakers to eliminate the Rockets, it might become his greatest achievement: "I've never seen a player maintain dominance at this age. Being selected for the All-Star team, making the All-NBA team. His career resume, if not the best in history, is certainly among the top tier. Achieving this would undoubtedly be another moment that astonishes the world."

Additionally, today the NBA officially announced the Players of the Week for Week 25 of the regular season, with James winning the Western Conference award. This is James' 9th time as a Lakers player and 70th overall weekly award, continuing to rank first in history. Second place is shared by Kobe and Durant with 33 awards.

Last week, James averaged 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 9.7 assists, leading the Lakers to a 3-1 record. At 41 years and 105 days old, James broke his own record as the oldest player to receive the Player of the Week award. Now, for the first round of the playoffs, we continue to watch him!