LeBron refuses to be shut down: 'I'm not sitting games'

LeBron James isn't taking his foot off the gas, even with the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff hopes dissipating quickly.

After falling on Monday to the Clippers 113-105, the Lakers have now lost three straight and sit five-and-a-half games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

With only 18 games left to make up the difference, the chances of Los Angeles qualifying for the postseason get slimmer by the day. However, James was adamant postgame on Monday about refusing to be shut down for the rest of the campaign.

"That would take a lot of convincing from Luke (Walton) on up," James told reporters, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "Unless I'm hurt, I'm not sitting games."

In Monday's loss, James registered a team-best 27 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists, and he also played a game-high 42 minutes. He's averaging 40.1 minutes over his last eight games, a stretch in which the Lakers have gone just 2-6.

Though the 34-year-old ruled out voluntarily sitting on the sideline, he did say that playing fewer minutes per game down the final stretch is possible if it aligns with both his and the Lakers' best interests.

"You kind of look at the rest of the games, and look at the percentages of what's going on there in the future, and see what makes more sense for not only me but the team itself as well," James said.