# NBA winners and losers: Lakers' charge halted by LeBron James injury

The balance of power atop the Western Conference may be shifting, and it may be because of an injury to one of the game’s all-time greats.

The Lakers (47-19) have been thriving since trading for Luka Dončić, climbing all the way to the No. 2 seed in the West. But, after LeBron James suffered a left groin strain Saturday against the Boston Celtics, the Lakers are now facing a stretch where they may be down three starters.

Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks, with an offense that has struggled recently, are in a little slide and may be ceding ground to a rival in the Central Division.

Here are the winners and losers from Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA regular season:

## WINNERS

### Celtics charging closer to two-seed in East
Although Boston (47-19) lost Wednesday night, snapping a five-game winning streak, it came against the Thunder, one of the truly elite teams in the NBA. And while the Celtics continue to rely on the 3-point shot — against Oklahoma City, 22 of the team’s 24 first-quarter field goals came from beyond the arc and Boston finished with a franchise-record 63 attempted 3s — they have been without Kristaps Porziņģis (illness) for the entire month of March. The Celtics feel like a team waiting to turn it on. And in a top-heavy Eastern Conference, they very well may cruise in the playoffs until a potential showdown against the Cavaliers (55-10).

### Bucks blow key game late, set to enter brutal stretch
Milwaukee erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, turning it into a three-point lead with 3.2 seconds left to play. The Pacers, the team on which the Bucks had held a one-game advantage in the West, blitzed Dončić with physicality and double teams and the offense could never settle into its actions. The upcoming schedule is daunting, and — as L.A. is battling with the Nuggets for the two-seed in the West — having two games against Denver over the next week, games James may miss, is terrible timing.

### Golden State Warriors just keep winning with Jimmy Butler
The Warriors (37-28) are 12-1 in the games in which Jimmy Butler has played. And while the schedule hasn’t been onerous, a 12-point victory over the Knicks last week showed Golden State can compete with some of the better teams in the NBA. Butler has demonstrated a willingness to take on the unglamorous parts of team basketball: rotating in help defense, deferring to teammates. Over the last 14 games, the Warriors rank fourth in the NBA in defensive rating, yielding 108.9 points per 100 possessions. Their net rating over that span is 11.7, second only to the Cavaliers (14.3).

## LOSERS

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