Things have been breaking right for the Los Angeles Lakers as they were stringing together wins while their Western Conference rivals were starting to slip. However, this past Sunday was a step in the wrong direction as they lost a close game to the New York Knicks while teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder picked up wins.
The Lakers had a golden opportunity to move to .500 and build some cushion in the standings as they played the Knicks without Jalen Brunson but let their chance slip away. Los Angeles’s defeat dropped them to 33-35, and they now find themselves in a four-way tie with the Utah Jazz, Thunder and Pelicans for the final two spots in the Play-In Tournament.
While all four teams have identical records, the Lakers find themselves at 11th due to regular season tiebreakers.
Although Los Angeles has more ground to make, they remain just 2.5 games behind the Clippers for the fifth spot and two games behind the Warriors for sixth. Fans should also have some optimism they can make it to the seventh and eighth spots as they only sit one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.
They have a pivotal game against the Pelicans coming up on Tuesday that’ll have a significant impact on the standings. The Lakers can also climb up the standings more if they manage to beat the Mavericks on Friday.
Fortunately, the purple and gold could be getting a boost before the regular season ends as LeBron James is reportedly turning over every stone to try and return. If James is able to come back sooner rather than later, there’s no reason why they can’t make a run down the stretch.
Lakers standings update
5. Clippers (36-33)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Warriors (March 15), vs. Magic (March 18), @ Trail Blazers (March 19)
6. Warriors (35-33)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Suns (March 13), @ Clippers (March 15), @ Hawks (March 17)
7. Timberwolves (34-34)
Upcoming schedule: @ Hawks (March 13), vs. Celtics (March 15), @ Bulls (March 17)
8. Mavericks (34-34)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Grizzlies (March 13), @ Spurs (March 15), @ Lakers (March 17)
9. Jazz (33-35)
Upcoming schedule: @ Heat (March 13), vs. Celtics (March 18), vs. Kings (March 20)
10. Thunder (33-35)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Nets (March 14), @ Raptors (March 16), vs. Suns (March 19)
11. Lakers (33-35)
Upcoming schedule: @ Pelicans (March 14), @ Rockets (March 15), vs. Mavericks (March 17)
12. Pelicans (33-35)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Lakers (March 14), @ Rockets (March 17), @ Rockets (March 19)
13. Trail Blazers (31-37)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Knicks (March 14), vs. Celtics (March 17), vs. Clippers (March 19)
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