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| Breaking Down the Standings |
| by Mike Trudell |
With only three games left to play, the Lakers - somehow - could still finish in five different spots in the Western Conference playoff chase from as high as six to as low as 10, such has been the level of competition in an extremely crowded field.
Just to get to this point, the Lakers have had to win eight of their last 10 games, a heavy lift regardless of opponent. With their foot on the gas pedal, they've played some of their best, and most consistent, basketball of the season. That's allowed a push to as many as 12 games above .500, and they may have made it 13 had Anthony Davis not gotten hit in the eye after a 1st quarter against Minnesota on Sunday evening in a game LeBron James (flu-like symptoms) almost missed. |
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Their resulting 45-34 record at this time last season would have been good for the No. 4 seed. But in 2023-24, it's only enough for the No. 9 spot.
Here's the current picture in the West, with each team, their record, their number of games back from the No. 1 seed, and their remaining schedules: |
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6) Phoenix (46-32); 8 (vs. LAC, @ LAC, @ SAC, @ MIN)
7) New Orleans (46-32); 8 (@ POR, @ SAC, @ GSW, vs. LAL)
8) Kings (45-33); 9 (@ OKC, vs. NOP, vs. PHX, vs. POR)
9) Lakers (45-34); 9.5 (vs. GSW, @ MEM, @ NOP)
10) Warriors (42-35); 11 (vs. LAL, @ POR, vs. NOP, vs. UTA)
Here's what the Lakers would need to happen to pass any one of the three teams ahead of them, whether they go 3-0, 2-1 or 1-2:
IF: LAL 3-0
THEN: SAC 2-2; NOP 2-2; PHX 2-2;
LAL 2-1
SAC 1-3; NOP 1-3; PHX 1-3;
LAL 1-2
SAC 0-4; NOP 0-4; PHX 0-4 |
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| Even though the Kings are one game behind the Suns and Pelicans, they're essentially even from a Lakers standpoint, since the Lakers own the tiebreaker over the Suns (3-2) and lead NOP 2-1 (with the season finale to decide that one), but not over Sacramento (0-4). |
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The Lakers also need a win against Golden State to lock themselves into a higher seed than the Warriors, who would control their own destiny – and the tiebreaker – if they're able to come into Los Angeles and win.
Where things get even more complicated is in potential 3-game tie scenarios. In a 3-way tie, the collective head-to-head results of the three teams involved decide it, if there's no Division leader involved (and there wouldn't be in any of these cases). From a Lakers standpoint, any such scenario involving Sacramento is where they'd falter, due to these H2H records:
LAL vs. Kings: 0-4
LAL vs. Suns: 3-2
LAL vs. Pelicans: 2-1 (April 14 pending)
LAL vs. Warriors: 1-2 (pending April 9 result) |
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| So, if the Lakers wind up in a 3-way tie with the Kings and Suns, L.A.'s record would be 3-6. Since the Suns and Kings split their season series 2-2, the Kings would be 6-2, and the Suns 4-5. As such, LAL would finish third, and have to settle for the worst of the three spots. |
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However, the Lakers – if they win out – would be in good shape in almost any other 3-team tie.
That said, to complicate things even further, there are scenarios in which New Orleans or Golden State could join into different 3-way ties, or even 4-way ties.
We'll spare you of those implications since some are still unknown due to both the Pelicans and Suns playing the Kings, and the Lakers playing the Pelicans and the Warriors. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, the Lakers players and coaches can only think about one thing: beating the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. |
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| Book Vegas: Exclusive Offer from MGM Rewards |
| From the Fountains at Bellagio, the luxury of ARIA to the unexpected adventures of Park MGM, experience the best of Las Vegas with MGM Rewards. |
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| Lakers fans are invited to take advantage of this exclusive offer to save up to 15% off Vegas room rates on their next visit to The Strip's most iconic destinations. |
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| Junior Lakers Night 2024 |
| The Los Angeles Lakers hosted Junior Lakers Night at Crypto.com Arena, inviting hundreds of Junior Lakers participants to their game against the 76ers. The Junior Lakers program is the Lakers' signature youth basketball program focused on developing fundamental skills, teamwork, sportsmanship, and positive community involvement for Los Angeles youth. |
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| Along with a live shot, some lucky guests delivered the game ball and cheered on players as they took the court. Participants of the Junior Laker Girls program also performed live during halftime! |
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| The Lakers are on Spectrum SportsNet+ |
| Stream the Lake Show on Spectrum SportsNet+ in the NBA App, no cable or satellite subscription needed. |
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| Lakers & South Bay Lakers TEAM UP |
| As part of the South Bay Lakers' recent adoption of Carr Elementary, the Los Angeles Lakers and South Bay Lakers staff joined together to bring the joy of reading to students. Staff, along with South Bay Lakers players and coaches, visited classrooms and read donated books, also sharing the importance of reading in their daily lives. |
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| Play Lakers Pick 'Em |
| Make your gameday predictions each game before tip-off and during the third quarter to win points for the Lakers Arcade Weekly Contest. Plus, listen for the keyword on Spectrum SportsNet to earn points to help you level up your ranking on the leaderboard. |
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| See official rules for details. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Open to legal residents of CA, excluding those areas that are within a 75-mile radius of the city of Sacramento and a 75-mile radius of the city of San Francisco, who are 18 or older. |
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| The Lakers opened March with a tough home loss to Denver that was nip and tuck until the final minutes, before rallying for a 116-104 victory on March 4 against OKC. Prior to a 6-game trip in late March and into April, the Lakers were in Los Angeles for almost the entire month, and they'd end up going 9-5 overall. |
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Perhaps the most frustrating of those losses in what was otherwise an impressive overall push came against Sacramento, starting with a 130-120 loss at Crypto.com Arena on March 6. LeBron went for 31 points and 13 assists, but the Lakers just couldn't get stops when they needed as De'Aaron Fox went off, mostly in LAL's paint, for 44 points.
LAL did respond with back-to-back home victories against good teams, beating Milwaukee without LeBron behind 9 made 3's from D’Angelo Russell, and then defeating Minnesota 120-109 on March 10 to improve to 36-30 on the season.
That set up a rematch with the Kings, this time in Sacramento, but L.A. faltered once again, frustratingly, falling 120-107 despite 28 points from Austin Reaves and 13 rebounds from LeBron. The two losses to the Kings would impact the standings considerably moving forward, as Sacramento began to falter, but had a 4-0 head-to-head edge on the Lakers. |
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| Looking to respond to that loss, the Lakers played well in a home contest against Golden State, up six after the first quarter, but Anthony Davis got hit in the eye at the end of the period and wasn't able to return. LeBron was superhuman, scoring 40 points on 15 of 23 FG's, plus nine assists and eight boards, but it wasn't quite enough without AD's presence defensively. |
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| But the Lakers got Davis back in the next game against Atlanta on March 18, easily winning 136-105, the first of nine wins in 10 games. With the exception of a road defeat at Indiana,
the Lakers took care of business, beating: Atlanta, Philly,
Indiana,
Milwaukee*, Memphis, Brooklyn, Toronto,
Washington
and Cleveland. |
| *The loss at Indiana came after the win in Milwaukee on the third game in four nights, and against a team they'd scored 150 points on in regulation on March 24, just five days prior. |
| A 5-1 road trip was right in the middle of that stretch, before L.A. returned home to defeat the Cavs 116-97, getting LAL to a season-high 12 games over .500 at 45-33. In most NBA seasons, that kind of record is good for more like the No. 4 or No. 5 seed, and it would have been No. 4 in 2022-23. |
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| And yet, because of this crazy year in the Western Conference, a loss to Minnesota on April 7 put the Lakers right back in the No. 9 spot, after they’d pushed up to eight for a day after the Cleveland win. |
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Already without LeBron (flu-like symptoms) against the Wolves, the Lakers led by four points after the 1st Q, but just like against GSW on March 16, Davis couldn't return to the game after getting hit in that same left eye.
Nonetheless, the Lakers do have a chance to move up to as high as the No. 6 seed in the West with a lot of help, or at least to the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game if they're able to win their three remaining games against the Warriors, Grizzlies and Pelicans. |
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