With the Lakers sitting at 7th in the West, these final two games could decide how many more games they’ll have to win before securing a real playoff spot. As it stands, the number is one, and they are looking to keep it that way with a win over the Suns on Friday.
Fortunately for the Lakers, the Suns have decided to take a rest day with the 4th seed locked up and have announced that all of their top guys (Durant, Booker, Ayton, and Paul) will be absent from the game.
Durant (ankle management), Booker (rest), Paul (rest), Ayton (rest) have all been officially ruled out for Suns vs. Lakers with Phoenix clinching No. 4 seed on Thursday night. https://t.co/C66J64bnq7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 7, 2023
It’s obviously a massive disappointment for fans hoping to see a showdown between LeBron and Durant, but that matchup will have to wait at least until the post-season, where the Suns and Lakers could be on a collision course.
For now, though, the Purple and Gold just need to take things one at a time and hope that they can win these next few games to put themselves in a favorable position to make a run.
Can The New-Look Lakers Win The West?
There is no question that February’s string of trades has drastically improved the Lakers, and their potential now is different than it was at the start of the season. In truth, there is some level of confidence that they can beat anyone in the West when fully healthy.
“We just want to put ourselves in a position to be able to compete for a championship,” LeBron said. “It’s a journey and obviously, we don’t have as much chemistry as a lot of other teams that are trying to compete for a championship or have aspirations to win a championship, but I like what we’ve been building over the last month or so.”
The Lakers are just 41-39 this season, but that’s honestly impressive, given how poorly that started the season. But after months of misery and failure, they’ve found a way to put themselves in the mix and they have a real chance to win it all.
And while playing the Suns would not be a favorable series by any means, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have to feel good about their chances to expose a potentially flawed Suns team.
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