The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their second consecutive victory on Wednesday night, defeating the Phoenix Suns 122-111. Led by Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, the Lakers now find themselves just a game below .500 and in a tie for the ninth seed with the Dallas Mavericks.
Reaves got the start against Phoenix and continued his excellent stretch of late with 25 points and 11 assists while Davis shook off his recent rough stretch to finish with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Russell added 26 points and his and-one layup late in the fourth was huge in halting the momentum of the Suns when things got close.
Now, that loss at the buzzer to the Dallas Mavericks continues to loom large for the Lakers as that gave Dallas the tiebreaker advantage, meaning even though their records are the same, L.A. technically remains in 10th place right now. But regardless, things remain extremely tight across the board in the Western Conference.
Both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder are just a half-game ahead of the Lakers, while the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans are a half-game behind L.A.
With games remaining against the Thunder, Timberwolves and two against the Jazz, the Lakers truly have their fate in their hands, but the road will not be an easy one.
The next take the court on Friday night in what will be a must-win game against the Thunder. Tiebreaker implications will be on the line again in this one considering it is their final head-to-head matchup and they split the first two.
While it’s impossible to predict how the standings will shake out, one thing that is for sure is that the final few weeks of the NBA season will be as intriguing as ever.
Lakers standings update
5. Clippers (38-35)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Thunder (March 23), vs. Pelicans (March 25), vs. Bulls (March 27)
6. Warriors (38-36)
Upcoming schedule: vs. 76ers (March 24), vs. Timberwolves (March 26), vs. Pelicans (March 28)
7. Timberwolves (37-37)
Upcoming schedule: @ Warriors (March 26), @ Kings (March 27), @ Suns (March 29)
8. Thunder (36-36)
Upcoming schedule: @ Clippers (March 23), @ Lakers (March 24), @ Blazers (March 26)
9. Mavericks (36-37)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Hornets (March 24), @ Hornets (March 26), @ Pacers (March 27)
10. Lakers (36-37)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Thunder (March 24), vs. Bulls (March 26), @ Bulls (March 29)
11. Jazz (35-37)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Bucks (March 24), @ Kings (March 25), vs. Suns (March 27)
12. Pelicans (35-37)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Hornets (March 23), @ Clippers (March 25), @ Blazers (March 27)
13. Trail Blazers (32-40)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Bulls (March 24), vs. Thunder (March 26), vs. Pelicans (March 27)
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