After a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers entered Tuesday night with arguably their biggest game of the 2023-24 season.
The Lakers faced off against the Golden State Warriors, a team they’re directly competing with for Play-In Tournament positioning. Coming into the matchup, Los Angeles held a one-and-a-half game lead over Golden State, so the winner would likely finish no worse than the nine seed.
Unfortunately, the Lakers couldn’t overcome Anthony Davis’ absence after he was ruled out with nausea and headaches and they would go on to get blown out by the Warriors.
Los Angeles could’ve moved up to the eighth seed because the Sacramento Kings lost earlier in the evening to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings looked like they were going to cruise to a victory, but the Thunder came roaring back to keep Sacramento in eighth.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns lost to the L.A. Clippers, who held them to just 10 points in the first quarter. Phoenix mounted a massive second-half comeback, but fell short and dropped down to the seventh seed because the New Orleans Pelicans blew out the Portland Trail Blazers.
The losses for the Kings and Suns leaves open a slight possibility that the Lakers can still move up, though it would require them to continue losing while the purple and gold would need to win out. The most likely scenario is they fall to 10th given the Warriors’ remaining schedule.
Los Angeles will at least have a couple days off before they hit the road to finish the regular season. The Lakers will first take on a tanking Memphis Grizzlies team on Friday, followed by the Pelicans on Sunday. The regular season finale could be another big game for both squads as Los Angeles could potentially move up while New Orleans might be in a position to avoid the Play-In completely.
With the final week of the regular season ongoing, the Lakers will certainly be doing some scoreboard watching to see if they can get any help across the league.
Lakers standings update
5. Mavericks (49-30)
Upcoming schedule: @ Heat (April 10), vs. Pistons (April 12), @ Thunder (April 14)
6. Pelicans (47-32)
Upcoming schedule: @ Kings (April 11), @ Warriors (April 12), vs. Lakers (April 14)
7. Suns (46-33)
Upcoming schedule: @ Clippers (April 10), @ Kings (April 12), @ Timberwolves (April 14)
8. Kings (45-34)
Upcoming schedule: vs. Pelicans (April 11), vs. Suns (April 12), vs. Trail Blazers (April 14)
9. Lakers (45-35)
Upcoming schedule: @ Grizzlies (April 12), @ Pelicans (April 14)
10. Warriors (44-35)
Upcoming schedule: @ Trail Blazers (April 11), vs. Pelicans (April 12), vs. Jazz (April 14)
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
