Lakers Playoff Seeding Clinching Scenarios Heading Into Sunday
The Los Angeles Lakers head into the final day of the regular season looking to make their mark and solidify their spot in the standings. Entering Sunday, Los Angeles sits in the 8th seed following a grind-out win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
They have been up and down all season but now have a chance to put themselves into the best possible position to suceed they can. For the Lakers, it's simple. If they can get the win over the New Orleans Pelicans on the road, they will be the 8th seed. But a loss opens up multiple scenarios for the team.
The two teams behind the Lakers are the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, both of which own the tiebreaker over Los Angeles. If the Lakers were to lose to the Pelicans on Sunday, they could fall back as far as the 10th seed depending on the other games.
Both the Kings and Warriors have easier games on Sunday at home. Sacramento takes on the lowly Portland Trail Blazers, while Golden State hosts the Utah Jazz. A win by either of these two teams with a Lakers loss would push them into at least the 9th seed.
Essentially, the Lakers need to win Sunday in New Orleans. If they do this, they lock up the 8th seed and will be given at least two tries to make the official playoff bracket. Ironically, if they do win on Sunday, they could be setting up a rematch a few days later against the Pelicans again.
New Orleans is fighting for seeding as well, so they have something to play for on Sunday. If they win, they clinch the 6th seed. But a loss combined with a win from the Phoenix Suns could push New Orleans to the 7th spot.
Los Angeles controls their own destiny, which is something they haven't had in a long time. The difference between playing in the 7/8 Play-in Game rather than the 9/10 is massive. The clock is ticking and the Lakers have more more chance to show out.
