Los Angeles Lakers Are Just Half A Game Behind The 5th Seed

The Los Angeles Lakers are now just half a game behind the 5th seed in the Western Conference and have a great chance at securing their spot in the top six.

4 Min Read

Credit: Fadeaway World

When the Los Angeles Lakers started the season 2-10, no one could have predicted that they’d be closing in on the 5th seed at some point in this campaign.

Following their dominant win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, though, the Lakers improved to 40-38 on the season. That result leaves them just half a game behind the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers and the sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors, both of whom are at 41-38.

It looks set to be a tight race for the automatic playoff positions, so let’s have a look at their schedules the rest of the way.

Los Angeles Clippers:

vs. Los Angeles Lakers

vs. Portland Trail Blazers

@ Phoenix Suns


Golden State Warriors:

vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

@ Sacramento Kings

@ Portland Trail Blazers


Los Angeles Lakers:

@ Utah Jazz

@ Los Angeles Clippers

vs. Phoenix Suns

vs. Utah Jazz

There are some intriguing games in there, with the most critical one easily being the clash between the Lakers and Clippers, which is on the 5th of April. That one game might as well end up deciding who finishes where. 


Predicting Where These Teams Could Finish

The Warriors certainly have a very good chance of securing their spot in the top six for a couple of reasons. One of the Lakers or Clippers is guaranteed to lose a game as they play each other, which means they will have some breathing room. They should also beat the Thunder at home, and despite all their struggles on their travels, they should beat the Trail Blazers, too, as Damian Lillard has been shut down for the season. They will probably lose to the Kings, though, which means they’re likely to finish at 43-39.

The Clippers also get a shot at the Blazers and should win that one, while the Lakers have two games against the Jazz, who have now lost seven of their last 10 games. That means both teams should get to 42 wins, and here is where it gets tricky. They both play the Suns, who are 6-0 with Kevin Durant, but the Lakers get to face them the night after Phoenix plays against the Denver Nuggets. Fatigue could play a factor, but the Suns would probably still beat both these teams, which means it all comes down to that head-to-head meeting.

While it would be easy to go for the Lakers, considering they are trending upward, the Clippers have won the last 10 games between these sides. It would also be a revenge game for Russell Westbrook, but Paul George’s absence might end up being a bit too much to overcome, and we’d give the Lakers the win. That would mean they finish with the same record as the Warriors but get the fifth seed, as they hold the tiebreaker, while the Clippers would have to settle for seventh. 

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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