Lakers Playoff Watch: 6 Big Games For West Postseason Hopefuls Tonight
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers are one of six active Western Conference playoff hopefuls looking to improve their standing in an insanely crowded conference, where just five games separate the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns (40-35) from the 12th-seeded Utah Jazz (35-40)!
At 37-38, the Lakers are currently the West's ninth seed, though that positioning is of course quite tenuous. Just beneath them are the 37-39 Oklahoma City Thunder, who are also active tonight against a Central Division club, though their opponents, the tanking Detroit Pistons, are a total pushover.
Just beneath the top 10, the 11th-seeded Dallas Mavericks have the same record as the Thunder, and are facing off against one of the East's best clubs, the 49-26 Philadelphia 76ers, who will be getting top players Joel Embiid and James Harden back in their lineup tonight after both missed Monday's tilt with the Denver Nuggets.
The 35-40 Utah Jazz are on the cusp of surrendering to the NBA lottery, and seem doomed to miss the playoffs should they not turn things around posthaste. They'll have their chance tonight against another tanking team, the 19-56 San Antonio Spurs.
The 39-37 Minnesota Timberwolves fell out of the West's top six and into its play-in bracket (seeds 7-10) yesterday through no fault of their own, as the Golden State Warriors pulled off an improbable double-digit comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans to recapture the sixth seed.
The West's fifth seed, the 40-36 LA Clippers, is also a losing streak away from tumbling into the play-in. Russell Westbrook and co. are facing a superior 48-27 Memphis Grizzlies club this evening.
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