The Los Angeles Lakers have created some distance from the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In Tournament race, establishing a 1.5-game advantage over their Western Conference counterparts as of March 24.
The Lakers are still three games behind the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks for seventh and eighth place, respectively. They also have a more challenging remaining schedule than Dallas and Golden State, according to Tankathon.
That is not a significant factor in their approach according to LeBron James, though.
“Ultimately, we're not really focused on our position in the standings,” James stated, as reported by the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike . Instead, we're focused on what we can influence. We cannot control our position if other teams are still performing well. What we can control is our own performance on the court and strive to win as many games as possible to see where we end up.”Securing the ninth seed would mean the Lakers would play a home game against the 10th-seeded Warriors in the first round of the Play-In Tournament.
Their last regular season encounter on April 9 could have significant implications for the postseason.
LeBron James, Lakers Set for Another Road-Heavy Postseason
The Lakers trail in the season series with two games won and one lost. They hold a 26-12 record at home compared to 12-20 on the road. However, their single road victory may strengthen their perspective on playoff seedings.
If they advance further into the playoffs, they will also confront a challenging path back to the Western Conference Finals, primarily on the road.
Their journey in 2023 was similar after finishing as the seventh seed.
They were still the lower-seeded team in their three playoff series, competing against the Warriors,
Denver Nuggets Memphis Grizzlies, and . James and the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies and Warriors in six games each.They struggled in the series against the Nuggets, being overpowered in a sweep. Hence, it is logical for them to remain focused on performing at their best for a potential rematch.
A potential rematch with the Nuggets would only occur in the Western Conference Finals.
Lakers Insider Provides Clarity on Injuries
The saga of the injured Lakers persists. There have been conflicting reports on the health status of
Gabe Vincent Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, and But The Athletic’s Lakers insider Jovan Buha clarified the situation..
“Wood is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season; there's a possibility he may return for the Play-In game(s) or the playoffs if the Lakers qualify, according to team sources,”
on March 22. Buha wrote “There's less certainty regarding Vanderbilt and Vincent. Neither has been ruled out for the rest of the season, but there is more internal optimism about Vanderbilt's return before the regular season ends next month, as per team and league sources. If either or both players had been fit, they could have influenced the Lakers’ season.”
The Lakers have been without these three players for most of the season. If they remain sidelined, the adjustment required would be less.
Nevertheless, the lack of depth could be a concern as they approach the postseason.
The Lakers have mostly avoided significant injuries to James and
Anthony Davis this year. Both have struggled with injuries in recent years. They will definitely require them even more without those players in the lineup. LeBron James openly discussed the Los Angeles Lakers' efforts to make the playoffs in a competitive Western Conference postseason battle.
