Lebron James to miss NBA postseason for 1st time since 2003 as LA Lakers suffer Suns' rout

National Basketball Association (NBA) star Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is set to miss the NBA postseason for the first time since 2003 after his side lost to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. Even though the LA Lakers have three regular-season games still remaining, their chances of making it to the playoffs are already over, highlighting the poor campaign they have had this season. This marks the seventh time the franchise have failed to make it to the playoffs in the last nine years.

LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns: Lebron James fails to make playoffs

Despite having the best odds to win the NBA this season, the Los Angeles Lakers even failed to make it to the playoffs. After San Antonio Spurs won their game against the Denver Nuggets, LA Lakers were in a situation where they had to win against the Phoenix Suns, who have been the best team in the league this season. The Suns defeated the LA Lakers 121-110 on the night to end the misery for the team featuring top star Lebron James.

While there was not much to separate the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns in the first half, there was a drastic difference seen in the quality of play in the second half. The LA Lakers, who were without their star Lebron James due to an ankle injury, were no match for the Suns in the second half. Despite having a star-studded line-up with the likes of Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook on the side, the LA Lakers could not keep themselves within a 20-point distance from the Suns for most of the second half.

Lebron James' stats so far in 2021/22 NBA season

Despite the disastrous performance of the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers team, Lebron James has had another fantastic season. The 37-year old currently leads the scoring this season with an average of 30.3 points. In comparison, Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo has an average of 30.1 and Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid has an average of 30.0. However, if he wants to qualify for the scoring title, he must play in a minimum of 58 games. As things stand, he has competed in 56 games this season. The last and only time James won the scoring title was in 2007-08.