Lakers Standings For NBA Playoffs: L.A. Claims No. 7 Seed After Win Over Timberwolves
LeBron James Anthony Edwards Lakers Timberwolves Team USA
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

After a good win on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers faced perhaps their most important game of the 2022-23 season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers and Timberwolves are neck-and-neck in the standings and the winner of their matchup would claim sole possession of the No. 7 seed

Things looked dicey in the first half as Los Angeles fell behind by double digits at halftime. However, the Lakers flipped the game on its head in the second half to come away with the victory and another move up the standings as a result.

By virtue of win percentage, L.A. and the New Orleans Pelicans managed to push Minnesota back down to the No. 9 seed. Although the Lakers and Pelicans have identical records, the former owns the tiebreaker and thus leaves the latter at No. 8.

The night only got better for the purple and gold as they also saw the Oklahoma City Thunder surprisingly lose to the Indiana Pacers while the Utah Jazz dropped another game against the Boston Celtics. Both should still be considered threats in the Play-In Tournament, so seeing them lose on a night when Los Angeles won makes things sweeter.

Unfortunately, the Lakers are far from out of the woods as they still need to win out if they hope to keep their spot or even move up to No. 6. While they should hopefully exact revenge on the Houston Rockets with LeBron James and Anthony Davis presumably in the lineup, they get a tough back-to-back against the Jazz and L.A. Clippers.

Even though it’s more statistically probable Los Angeles finishes at worst in the Play-In, the ideal outcome would be to avoid it entirely. The next week will determine their fate, so it’ll be interesting to see how things turn out.

Lakers standings update

5. Clippers (41-37)

Upcoming schedule: @ New Orleans (April 1), vs. Lakers (April 5) vs. Trail Blazers (April 8)

6. Warriors (40-37)

Upcoming schedule: @ Nuggets (April 2), vs. Thunder (April 4), @ Kings (April 7)

7. Lakers (39-38)

Upcoming schedule: @ Rockets (April 2), @ Jazz (April 4), @ Clippers (April 5)

8. Pelicans (39-38)

Upcoming schedule: vs. Clippers (April 1), vs. Kings (April 4)

9. Timberwolves (39-39)

Upcoming schedule: vs. Trail Blazers (April 2), @ Nets (April 4), @ Spurs (April 8)

10. Thunder (38-40)

Upcoming schedule: vs. Suns (April 2), @ Warriors (April 4), @ Jazz (April 6)

11. Mavericks (37-40)

Upcoming schedule: @ Heat (April 1), @ Hawks (April 2), vs. Kings (April 5)

12. Jazz (36-41)

Upcoming schedule: @ Nets (April 2), vs. Lakers (April 4) vs. Thunder (April 6)

13. Trail Blazers (32-45)

Upcoming schedule: @ Timberwolves (April 2), @ Grizzlies (April 4), @ Spurs (April 6)

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!

You May Also Like

This Day In Lakers History: Kobe Bryant Drops 60 Points On Grizzlies To Extend Scoring Streak

On March 22, 2007, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was right in the middle of one of the most impressive…

Kyle Kuzma Thinks Lakers Would Have Repeated In 2020-21 If They Stayed Healthy

Los Angeles Lakers fans will always look back at the 2020-21 season as a wasted opportunity to add another title…

Lakers Frequently Wearing Purple ‘Statement Edition’ Nike Jersey At Staples Center In Effort To Strike Balance

Back in June 2015 the NBA announced the signing of an apparel deal with Nike that was due to begin with the…

This Day In Lakers History: L.A. Scores Most Overtime Points In 1970 NBA Finals Vs. Knicks

After stealing homecourt advantage from the New York Knicks in the 1970 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers returned…