for us it wasn’t. But you’re anxious and excited to go back out there and try to do it all over again.”

The Lakers get back on the court tonight against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, a team they beat shortly before the break with a new-look but LeBron James-less lineup. This time, they expect to have James, who was given an extra day off on Wednesday after suiting up as the team’s lone All-Star.

James called the remaining regular-season schedule “23 of the most important games of my career.” Even though James was absent from Wednesday’s practice, that sense of urgency was palpable among the rest of the team.

“I couldn’t agree with him more. It’s what’s in front of him,” coach Darvin Ham said. “He’s done amazing things, had an amazing career – not just basketball, not just him in regards to our season but just in life in general. That should be your mentality: what’s in front of you.”

The Lakers have to beat the odds to make the playoffs at 13th place in the Western Conference, 3½ games out of sixth place and two games out of 10th place for the final play-in berth. FiveThirtyEight gives them 35% odds to earn a playoff spot; Basketball Reference gives them a 15% chance.

Statistical models, however, possibly fail to capture how the Lakers’ remade roster will affect their chances, and the overwhelming feeling inside the organization is optimism. In the win against the Pelicans, the Lakers debuted a new starting group of D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley — three former teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves — with James and Davis. After getting good results, Ham said he foresees sticking with that group indefinitely.

“We really didn’t have much to go off of, the lineup Coach kind of threw out there,” Russell said. “Chemistry seemed like it was there and our first practice, so at the end of the day, that’s something to live off of knowing that guys are buying into what it takes and roles.”

The Lakers will have to do a fair amount of climbing to get to the sixth seed (and a guaranteed first-round playoff berth), but Ham emphasized that it’s what the team wants to do.

“If we can go and secure a spot, that is our goal right there,” he said. “If we fall into a play-in situation, so be it. But our No. 1 goal is to go secure a spot, not just throw games off here or there. Just wish for a play-in. We want to go secure a spot.”

Judgment reserved on Westbrook move

Elsewhere in L.A., Russell Westbrook was introduced for the first time — as a Clipper.

With the move becoming official on Wednesday after he cleared waivers, the Lakers were largely reserved in their comments about their former teammate. Davis didn’t offer much of an assessment of what Westbrook would bring to the Clippers, except to say, “I’m pretty sure he’s happy to stay in L.A.”

Ham also was relatively reserved.

“I appreciate Russ for everything he tried to do for us, for sacrificing, complying with my vision of him coming off the bench and having a more balanced lineup,” he said. “I wish him well going forward, and that’s it.”