MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For as grim as the Lakers’ outlook appeared to be after consecutive home losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors earlier in the week, and how uninspiring Friday’s road win over the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies was, they’re back in control of their postseason fate.
No more external help is necessary for the Lakers’ best-case outcome for their play-in tournament seeding.
All that matters for the Lakers: Beat the New Orleans Pelicans in Sunday’s regular-season finale at Smoothie King Center, and the Lakers will clinch the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
“Just got to do our job,” Anthony Davis said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the other teams in the other games and what they’re thinking or whatever the case might. We control what we control and that’s winning the basketball game on Sunday. And see what happens from there.”
The Lakers’ win over the Grizzlies, in addition to the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Pelicans (49-33) and Sacramento Kings’ loss to the Phoenix Suns (48-33), moved the Lakers (46-36) into sole possession of eighth place, with the Kings (45-36) and Warriors (45-36) a game behind them.
So as long as they emerge from Sunday with a victory, they’ll play either the Pelicans or Phoenix Suns in Tuesday’s 7-8 play-in game, giving them at least two shots to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
The Lakers will finish the regular season at No. 8 in the West and play either the Pelicans or Suns in the 7-8 play-in game if they beat the Pelicans on Sunday.
The scenarios that’d result in the Lakers finishing 8th: pic.twitter.com/fU9qPxSqRG
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 13, 2024
The task won’t be as easy as it could’ve been for the Lakers, who have a 2-1 season series advantage over the Pelicans.
The Pelicans will also be playing for postseason positioning, meaning they’ll be more likely to play their main players significant minutes, after the Suns’ victory over the Kings kept Phoenix’ hopes alive for the sixth seed.
If the Pelicans the Lakers, or the Suns fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, New Orleans will clinch the sixth seed and avoid the play-in. If the Pelicans fall to the Lakers and the Suns beat the Timberwolves, the Pelicans would finish at No. 7, also setting up a Lakers-Pelicans rematch on Tuesday in the 7-8 West play-in game for the seventh seed in the West’s bracket.
The Lakers could clinch the No. 8 spot even with a loss to the Pelicans on Sunday, but they’d need the Warriors and Kings to close their finales to the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively, which are unlikely scenarios.
If the Lakers fall to the Pelicans but one of the Warriors or Kings lose their final game, then the Lakers would drop to No. 9, meaning they’d host the 9-10 play-in game. The Lakers lost the tiebreakers to the Warriors and Kings, so they’d fall below either of them if they finished with the same record.
If the Lakers lose their final game and the Warriors and Kings win theirs, the Lakers would drop to No. 10 and have to travel to San Francisco to play the Warriors in the 9-10 play-in game because of tiebreakers.
No team has made it from the play-in tournament to the playoffs from the No. 10 spot in either conference.
“Of course it matters,” LeBron James said of seeding. “Every game matters. Every seed matters. But however you fall, wherever you fall, you can’t play in the past. But absolutely … I can’t sit here and say, ‘I’d much rather be where we are today than the No. 1 seed.’ That would be a lie. So of course seeds matter. But wherever you fall, you take that challenge.”
LAKERS AT PELICANS
When: 12:30 p.m. PT Saturday
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
TV/radio: ESPN/710 AM
