Western Conference Standings Watch: Lakers rise to ninth seed
The Lakers had a great weekend winning their games and rising up in the Western Conference standings.
With the Western Conference being a tight-knit race, this will be a twice-weekly series looking at the Western Conference standings and games to watch as the Lakers look to move back into the playoffs.
The Lakers took care of business this weekend, winning both of their matchups. With the Golden State Warriors dropping their last two games, Los Angeles is sitting comfortably at the ninth seed in the West, with an opportunity to close the gap with the eighth.
The biggest game the Lakers have a direct influence on this week is their matchup against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, but here are the other games fans need to keep an eye on that have seeding implications.
Games to Watch
Monday
Suns at Cavaliers — The Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Suns would put the Lakers just a game and a half away from the sixth spot and out of the play-in. Los Angeles has the tiebreaker over the Suns, so as difficult as things have been for the Lakers, they can still reach a top-sixth seed and avoid single-elimination situations.
Mavericks at Bulls — Dallas had a bounce-back weekend, winning both of their games. But the Bulls have been playing well, winning three of their last four games during this West Coast road trip. Chicago has already helped L.A. by beating the Kings and Warriors recently, so hopefully, they can do it one more time, besting Dallas at home.
Warriors at Spurs — Last week, the Spurs beat the Warriors even with Victor Wembanyama out. Can they replicate that result with Wemby back? The big question for the Warriors is if Steph Curry will play. He’s probable and they need every win if they want to dig out of the tenth hole, but Golden State has to be careful not to push their star beyond his comfort level.
Tuesday
Bucks at Kings — Can Milwaukee demonstrate dominance and beat a good Sacramento Kings team? They’ll be on the road and Sacramento is coming off a rough defeat against the Houston Rockets, so we’ll see if Milwaukee can do the Lakers a solid before the Lakers face the Kings the following day.
Wednesday
Mavericks at Warriors — Either way, the Lakers will benefit here. The Warriors losing will make sure the Lakers don’t fall to tenth. The Mavs losing means the Lakers can tie for eighth if they beat the Kings on Wednesday.
Thursday
Mavericks at Thunder — On the second night of a back-to-back, the Mavericks face the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road in another tough game. The Thunder should be favored as they’ll be at home, more rested than Dallas and, potentially, the national television spotlight will add some juice to their game.
Suns at Celtics — I’m tired of rooting for the Celtics. This happens when you can’t just control what you can control and need help improving your positioning. Boston is a good team and has only lost three games at home, so they’ll be favored in this game, even with Kevin Durant on the other side.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.