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Lakers & Warriors Locked Into Play-In Tournament
If the Season Ended Right Now, We’d Get a Lakers vs. Warriors Game in the Play-In Tournament
Not Ideal…
Despite recent impressive runs by both teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are locked into the play-in tournament. Neither team can possibly move into the sixth seed now but could still jump to the No. 7 or No. 8 seed.
This isn’t a huge surprise as the Lakers and Warriors have been very inconsistent in NBA games this season. The Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, and New Orleans Pelicans are continuing to battle for the No. 6 seed but the Warriors and Lakers can’t climb up that far.
LeBron James has been critical of the play-in tournament in the past but it’s not providing a lifeline to his team.
The Lakers and Warriors are both locked into the play-in tournament after the Suns’ win 👀 pic.twitter.com/vqYn0wmOD0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 11, 2024
Lakers vs Warriors: Who Wins?
The Lakers and Warriors matched up last night and Golden won 134-120. However, the Lakers were without Anthony Davis so they weren’t at full strength. If the season ended right now, it would be Lakers vs Warriors in the play-in tournament.
🗣️ WARRRIORRSSSSS pic.twitter.com/Ui4By72J9l
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 10, 2024
This would be the second time in four seasons that the two teams would be facing off in the play-in tournament. The Lakers won the previous matchup after LeBron hit a game-winning shot over Steph Curry. Having the Lakers and Warriors in the play-in tournament is less-than-ideal NBA news.
It means that there’s a very good chance that one of the NBA’s two biggest brands will be knocked out before they can get to the playoffs. There’s also a chance that neither of the teams will make the playoffs. That would be a nightmare scenario for the NBA.
The top 10 teams in each conference are locked in:
East:
– Celtics
– Bucks
– Cavs
– Magic
– Knicks
– Pacers
– Heat
– 76ers
– Bulls
– HawksWest:
– Nuggets
– Wolves
– Thunder
– Clippers
– Mavs
– Suns
– Pels
– Kings
– Lakers
– WarriorsOnly 11 days until the play-in begins. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/pSIgq5EkLg
— NBA World (@NBAW0RLD24) April 5, 2024
Regardless, even though the Lakers lost on Wednesday, they’d likely be the favorites in a play-in matchup vs. the Warriors. They still don’t have a way to deal with Anthony Davis’ size. The Lakers are also undefeated in play-in tournament games.
Los Angeles has been able to play their best basketball in the most important games. The Warriors would be a tough draw but it’s hard to count out LeBron James in a must-win game.
