The Los Angeles Lakers are having a nightmare season, but the worst ending possible for them might be coming to reality soon. The Lakers were championship contenders at the start of the season. Even when it looked like a championship won’t be possible, people still assumed they would be a top-six seed and be in the Playoffs.
People took the Lakers as the 9-10 seed for granted and were already planning matchups for the same. However, it looks like the Lakers now will have to fight for even that spot with the San Antonio Spurs, who are half a game behind them in the standings after their win over the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers have an incredibly hard run of fixtures coming up where they face the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and the Golden State Warriors in their next six games. Will they actually end up missing the playoffs?
The Spurs have moved within 0.5 games of the Lakers for the final play-in spot.
Here we go. 👀 pic.twitter.com/yGbXb21nCx
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 29, 2022
The Lakers were dealt a possible setback with LeBron James hurting his ankle against the Pelicans in the Lakers’ last game. Their next six opponents are all playoff contenders battling for seeding, with the midfield of the Western Conference in a tight battle for seeds 3-7.
The Spurs will face the Memphis Grizzlies next before they have a two-game stand against the tanking Portland Trail Blazers. They end their season with games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and Dallas Mavericks. Their schedule is certainly more favorable than the Lakers.
The New Orleans Pelicans also need to hold on to their spot, but their upcoming games are quite favorable, with matchups against the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and a must-watch against the Lakers where LA will have one final chance of beating the Pelicans in this race for the 9 and 10 seed.
