The best way for the Lakers to take control of the seventh seed - which again, is the most favorable position to be in if they’re in the play-in tournament - is to win their last two games. Regardless, this is a must-win game for the Lakers because their current position in the play-in tournament could get tricky too if they drop this one. Sounds tricky, doesn’t it? The challenge in claiming the sixth seed is that the Lakers will have to hope that the Golden State Warriors (who currently have possession of the sixth seed as of right now) drop their game to the Kings on Friday - the same night when the Lakers face the Suns.Īs Jacob noted above, the Suns will be on the second night of a back-to-back on Friday, so we don’t really know how they plan to approach the game until probably moments before tipoff. If Lakers split, Warriors have to lose both games.- Jacob Rude April 6, 2023 Warriors lose either one of their two road games to the Kings on Friday or Blazers on Sunday Lakers win out against the Suns (who could be resting) on Friday and the Jazz on Sunday For the Lakers to get the sixth seed, my colleague Jacob Rude broke it down as thoroughly as possible here: Not only will the Lakers potentially get a much-needed one-week rest - especially after approaching every game in the last month like it’s game seven - but also avoid putting their season on the line in a do-or-die play-in game scenario. But the advantage of claiming the sixth seed is just too difficult to dismiss and could benefit the Lakers in the long run. Yes, no opponent will want to play in what should be a loud and hostile Golden 1 Center against a Kings team that has one of the best offenses in the league this season.
#Phoenix suns game series#
The price of ending up in the sixth seed of the Western Conference is likely a series date with the Sacramento Kings, who will host a Playoff game for the first time in 16 years. How crucial are these games? Well, here are the seeding implications that depend heavily on this stretch: The six-seed dream is still alive, but tough to achieve What they’re basically competing for in the last act of the regular season is their position in the standings and how that can put them in a better spot to succeed moving forward.Īs of right now, the best path for the Lakers is to either regain the sixth seed (which they need a lot to go their way in order to happen) or stay put in the seventh seed so they have homecourt advantage in a single elimination game that is the play-in tournament.įor those favorable outcomes to happen, the most important thing is that the Lakers ace their next two games against the Phoenix Suns (arguably the scariest team in the Western Conference when fully healthy) and the Utah Jazz (the same team that took them to overtime last Tuesday). This only means that the next and final two games - albeit circumstances they can’t control - will determine whether or not the Lakers will be in the play-in tournament or not.Īt the very least though, Los Angeles has clinched a spot in the play-in tournament, so they’ll have a shot at making it to the Playoffs nonetheless. The purple and gold, who played their fourth game in six nights, went up against a well-rested Clippers team who now have control of the fifth seed. Clippers in a rather forgettable blowout debacle. The Lakers missed the opportunity to climb up the Western Conference standings last night, after falling to the L.A.
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