Lakers Playoff Outlook After Getting 8th Seed
The Lakers Will Face the Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday
Can the Lakers Make It?
It’s been a wild ride of a season for the Los Angeles Lakers but they were able to climb to the eighth seed in their final game. The team dominated the New Orleans Pelicans 124-108 and will now face them again in the play-in tournament.
The #SoFiPlayIn matchups are set!
Tuesday on TNT:
7:30pm/et: #8 Lakers at #7 Pelicans
10:00pm/et: #10 Warriors at #9 KingsWednesday on ESPN:
7:00pm/et: #8 Heat at #7 Sixers
9:30pm/et: #10 Hawks at #9 Bulls pic.twitter.com/mARzNZhZJ9— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024
It was a huge win for the Lakers as now they only have to win one game to secure a playoff spot. They also avoided the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings in the first round of the play-in tournament. Both teams have given the Lakers trouble in the past.
Getting into the NBA playoffs has been a challenge for Los Angeles but they now have the path laid out for them. Now they just need to take care of business. It would be great for NBA news if the Warriors and Lakers were both able to get into the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers since 2021:
2020-21: 7 Seed (Play-In Team)
2021-22: 11 Seed
2022-23: 7 Seed (Play-In Team)
2023-24: 8 Seed (Play-In Team) pic.twitter.com/XAiXblHptS— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 15, 2024
Predictions for Lakers Playoff Run
The Lakers are done playing regular season NBA games and now the real test begins. The team is set to play the Pelicans on Tuesday and should be the heavy favorites considering they just dominated them. The Lakers will be on the road but should still be able to take care of business. That said, losing wouldn’t be the worst thing.
If they lose and have to play the winner of the Warriors-Kings game, they’d play the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs if they were able to win the play-in. The Lakers have been much better against the Thunder than the No. 2 seed Denver Nuggets.
COURT. VISION. 👀
LeBron has a season-high 15 AST on ESPN pic.twitter.com/ggJgNypKIs
— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2024
A fresh Lakers team in the first round of the playoffs might have a better chance of beating the Nuggets than they would after a grueling playoff run. They’d have to beat the Nuggets at some point so might as well try to do it when they’re healthy.
It’s unlikely the Lakers make it past the Nuggets as their team is just too good right now but this would be their best path for a fighting chance.
