“Just needed a stop down the stretch!” - LeBron James on LA Lakers’ gritty fightback and what could've been in 1-point loss to LA Clippers

LeBron James had words of encouragement for his LA Lakers teammates following their close loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday. James is currently on the sidelines dealing with a knee (swelling) injury and has missed the last five games in a row.

The Lakers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back but still managed to battle and erase a 17-point deficit to make it a one-possession game against their cross-town rivals. They fell short by a one-point margin as Anthony Davis' potential game-winning shot did not fall, despite the ball touching all parts of the rim. Here's what LeBron James tweeted after the final whistle:

"Just needed 1 stop down the stretch! Bros battled though on the 2nd night of a b2b"

Reggie Jackson scored the go-ahead basket for the Clippers just before Anthony Davis' attempt with four seconds left on the game clock. The LA Lakers did not have any timeouts left as Davis charged from half-court to make the shot attempt.

LA Lakers miss LeBron James again, face an uphill battle with 29 games left in the season

The LA Lakers' biggest problem has been injuries again. They had to deal with a similar situation last season, which saw them slip into the play-in tournament. The case doesn't look any different now. They find themselves in a similar spot with a 25-28 record. The Lakers are four games behind the sixth-placed Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings.

LeBron James has missed 17 games so far, and that has impacted the LA Lakers not being able to win games. They have a 6-11 record in James' absence. When he was fit, Anthony Davis wasn't available, making it difficult for Frank Vogel and his staff to make adjustments, considering how vital the duo are to their plans.

LeBron James has been the team's leading scorer and the focal point of their offense. The LA Lakers have had difficulties creating scoring opportunities in his absence. Russell Westbrook has blown hot and cold for most of the campaign, while Anthony Davis seems to have rediscovered his form over the last few weeks.

It will be an uphill task for the 17-time NBA champions to do well moving forward, as they need their big three to spend a significant amount of time together on court before the postseason starts. That hasn't happened and they will be hoping that LeBron James recovers as quickly as possible, as they do not have much time left to turn things around.