Chapter 313: Lock in the first place in the west in advance

The 2019 All-Star Weekend ended like this, and although Wang Feng unexpectedly lost the championship of the Skills Challenge, he still managed to pocket the rewards of the three-point contest, the dunk contest and the All-Star Game, and overall he still gained a lot.

After All-Star Weekend, it's time for the final sprint of the regular season.

Before the trade deadline, there were several trades in the league, most of which were minor and inconsequential trades, and the only one worth mentioning was the Raptors' trade with the Grizzlies.

The Raptors sent Valanciunas and other chips to get center Mark from the Grizzlies. Gasol.

Gasol's form has declined further this season, averaging only 15+8 per game in the Grizzlies this season, and it is difficult for Gasol's heavy-tonnage center to integrate into the tactical play of the small-ball era.

The reason why the Raptors chose to trade Gasol is mainly based on Gasol's rim-protecting ability and playmaking ability, which they are preparing for the upcoming playoffs.

In fact, it is precisely because of Gasol that the Raptors can easily defeat the Bucks 4-2 in the future Eastern Conference Finals and successfully advance to the Finals.

The Lakers didn't make any trade reinforcements at the trade deadline, because the current Lakers roster is complete, and there are no special positions that need reinforcements, or even if there is, the price to pay to get the player they want is enough to discourage the Lakers.

After the All-Star weekend, the Lakers' remaining three games in February are against the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.

Facing the Rockets again, the Lakers hit hard, Wang Feng scored 34 points and 12 rebounds, and Jimmy. Butler scored 27 points and Ingram scored 18 for a 111-106 victory over the Rockets.

Harden shot 11-of-24 in this game, scored 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, and failed to score higher than Wang Feng and failed to win the game.

Then, the Lakers defeated Anthony. The Pelicans, who were sidelined by Davis due to injury, and the Memphis Grizzlies, who were even stronger after the trade, ended their final campaign in February with a winning streak.

By the end of February, the Lakers had played 61 games in the regular season, and in those 61 games, the Lakers had a 48-13 record, a 78.7% winning rate, and continued to lead the league.

However, due to the decline in January and February, the Lakers' lead is not as large as it used to be.

On March 1, the Lakers lost 120-131 at home to the Milwaukee Bucks.

In this game, Antetokounmpo's performance was not very good, with only 16 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists on 7-of-14 shooting, but he couldn't stand the Bucks' hot state as a team.

Nicknamed "Blood Cloth" Erik. Bledsoe scored 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting.

Malcolm. Brogdon scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting in just 28 minutes, and Chris Brown scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Middleton, Nikolai. Mirotic and other players also played well.

With the victory in this game, the Bucks successfully chased the difference between the two teams to just 2 games.

However, the Lakers won the next five games against the Suns, Clippers, Nuggets, Celtics and Bulls, won a wave of five consecutive wins, and stabilized the record.

On March 14, the Lakers took on the Toronto Raptors on the road.

This is Wang Feng this season, or rather Kehuai. Leonard went head-to-head with Leonard for the first time in years since his injury.

When Wang Feng was still in the Warriors, he was not qualified to let Leonard defend, and when he came to the Cavaliers, Leonard was also the one responsible for defending James, and it was also not Wang Feng's turn.

Many fans have always been curious, as the top outside defender, can Leonard effectively limit Wang Feng, who is currently the strongest scorer in the league?

The result of the direct confrontation between the two was that Wang Feng scored 29 points and 10 rebounds in the whole game, and his shooting percentage was indeed affected, 48% lower than his average average of 53% per game.

But at the same time, Wang Feng is also a top outside defender, and he didn't make Leonard much better.

Under Wang Feng's defense, Leonard shot 8 of 20, with a shooting rate of only 40%, and scored 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Wang Feng was clearly superior in individual encounters, but the Lakers lost the game.

The Raptors playing at home are two interior Mark Browns. Gasol and Pascal. Siakam dominated the game with a final score of 119-107.

The road game against the Raptors was the second of a five-game losing streak of the Lakers' March schedule, followed by a 122-97 win over the Detroit Pistons and a 124-120 win over the New York Knicks in Game 4.

However, on the last road, the Lakers once again met the Bucks.

The Lakers have long been exhausted by the fatigue of consecutive away games, and they lost the game again in the face of the Bucks, who were waiting for work.

This is the second time that the Lakers have been beaten by an Eastern Conference team this season, and the Lakers also lost home and away games against the 76ers before.

Fortunately, such a loss did not disappoint Lakers fans too much.

In other words, the Lakers can achieve their current results, which has made fans very satisfied.

After losing to the Bucks, the Lakers have a 55-16 record, and the only remaining 11 games in the regular season are the Warriors, Jazz, Clippers and Trail Blazers, and there is a great chance that they will have a 60-win record this season!

Back to the last time the Lakers achieved a 60+ record, it was the 08-09 season, when the Lakers were still Kobe Bryant in his prime. Gasol, Andrew. Bynum, Lamar. Odom and other great players.

The Lakers, who won 65-17 in the regular season that year, made it through the playoffs and eventually lifted the championship trophy.

Time flies, and it is 10 years later.

Who would have thought that the Lakers, who were at the bottom of the league two seasons ago and competing for the top pick in the draft, would have a chance to win 60 in the regular season?

On March 22, the Lakers finally ended their five-game losing streak and returned home to face the Brooklyn Nets, winning 129-115, and then winning back-to-back home games against the Saramento Kings and Washington Wizards, bringing their winning tally to 58.

On March 27, the Lakers challenged the Utah Jazz away and lost the game 115-106.

On March 29, the Lakers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 121-110 at home, scoring 59 wins.

Then, on the last day of March, the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 130-102 on the road, and the number of regular season wins officially reached 60! Lock in the first place in the west in advance!

So far, the Lakers have only five games left, and the opponents are the Thunder, Warriors, Clippers, Jazz and Trail Blazers.

These five teams are all playoff-level teams, among which the Jazz, Thunder and Clippers have extremely close records, and they are still fiercely competing for the playoffs.