The last big road trip of the season will be over this week, and so far, it’s been a successful one for the Lakers.
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 are currently on a six-game road trip out East and have dominated, winning three of the first four games they've played.
The team has also gotten healthier, with Gabe Vincent making his return in Brooklyn against the Nets and they have won seven of their last ten games.
Despite the trajectory trending up, the Lakers have stayed in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, a game-and-a-half behind the eighth-seed Phoenix Suns and seventh-seed Sacramento Kings.
Given the tiebreaker situations for the Lakers, the Suns are the most likely team they can catch, but multiple scenarios can get them past one, if not several, teams.
IF: LAL 6-1
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 1, 2024
THEN: PHX 5-3; SAC 4-4; NOP 3-5; DAL 2-6
LAL 5-2
PHX 4-4; SAC 3-5; NOP 2-6; DAL 1-7
LAL 4-3
PHX 3-5; SAC 2-6; NOP 1-7; DAL 0-8
LAL 3-4
PHX 2-6; SAC 1-7; NOP 0-8
*LAL own tiebreaker over PHX, lead NOP 2-1 (4th meeting April 14)
**DAL and SAC own tiebreaker over LAL
Here are the upcoming games that have standing implications for the Lakers.
Suns at Pelicans — While the Lakers catching the Pelicans is still mathematically possible, it's highly improbable, so fans should focus on the Suns losing games. New Orleans will be home and a win would bring the Lakers within one game of Phoenix.
Kings at Clippers — Lakers fans cheering for the Clippers? That's the scenario on Tuesday as the other Los Angeles team hosts the Kings. Clippers are fighting to maintain a top-four seed and homecourt in the first round, so expect both teams to give their best effort.
Mavericks at Warriors — It's looking increasingly like Golden State will not be able to catch the Lakers and will either stay at the tenth spot or even drop out of the play-in entirely if Houston can go on another run. Still, a few more losses are needed to guarantee this and Dallas extending their winning streak to eight will bring us one step closer.
Cavaliers at Suns — Phoenix begins a three-game homestand on Wednesday, starting with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have been a bit of a rollercoaster this season. They are currently a three-seed in the East but have dropped six of their last ten and have a 20-24 record against teams above .500 on the season.
Donovan Mitchell will have to bring his best effort versus a stacked Phoneix team if they are going to pull off the upset.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
