LA Lakers Playoffs chances: Current standings, fixtures ahead, and more as of March 23, 2023
The LA Lakers (36-37) beat the Phoenix Suns (38-34) on Wednesday (Mar. 22) night. It was a big victory for the Lakers, as they moved up the standings to tenth in the Western Conference.
If the regular season ended today, the Lakers would match up against the Dallas Mavericks in a play-in game. However, they have nine games left in the season and a chance to secure a playoff spot without participating in the play-in tournament.
The West is very competitive, and anything can happen. As of Mar. 23, the Lakers are only 1.5 games behind the sixth spot in the conference and 2.5 games behind the fourth spot.
LA Lakers have one of the easiest remaining schedules
The Lakers have nine games left in the regular season and have the sixth-easiest remaining schedule. The combined winning percentage of their remaining opponents is 46.8%, although only one opponent has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Four of their remaining games will be played at home, and the team will have one more game on the second night of a back-to-back. If the Lakers win at least five games, they will almost certainly be a lock for the play-in tournament.
Here is the upcoming schedule for the Lakers:
- vs OKC Thunder (36-36), March 24
- vs Chicago Bulls (34-38), March 26
- at Chicago Bulls, March 29
- at Minnesota Timberwolves (37-37), March 31
- at Houston Rockets (18-55), April 2
- at Utah Jazz (35-37), April 4
- at LA Clippers (38-35), April 5
- vs Phoenix Suns (38-34), April 7
- vs Utah Jazz, April 9
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The Thunder, Timberwolves and Jazz are all within half a game of the Lakers, which is why they will be the most important matchups.
The Lakers will also match up against the Clippers, their city rivals. The game will be played on the second night of a back-to-back, but the Clippers will be without Paul George.
The Clippers are fifth in the West but only two games ahead of the Lakers. While they're one of the best teams in the league when healthy, the Clippers have the 11th toughest remaining schedule and might go down in the standings.
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It doesn't appear that LeBron James will return anytime soon. There's a chance that the 20-year NBA veteran will be sidelined until the end of the regular season, which is why other players will have to step up and secure a playoff spot for the Lakers.