As many young teams have grown up, the already fierce competition in the Western Conference playoffs has become more involved. Especially when entering the sprint stage of the regular season, the competition for play-off spots has become fierce early, and the outcome of almost one game will be decided. Determining the fate of many teams, after the competition between the Rockets and the Warriors for the 10th place in the Western Conference came to an end, the Lakers, who had won 8 of the past 9 games, had to stand out again and successfully tied the eighth place in the Western Conference with the Kings.
With 8 wins from 9 games, the Lakers improved their record to 44 wins and 33 losses, closely chasing the Kings, Suns and Pelicans in front of them.
Among them, the eighth-ranked Kings are undoubtedly the team most likely to be overtaken by the Lakers, because the Kings' remaining schedule is extremely difficult, and at the same time, the team's two core rotations, Monk and Huerter, have suffered from injuries.
This allowed the Kings to come back from a 21-point lead against the Knicks in the last game. Then in back-to-back games against the Celtics, the Kings almost fell behind by 19 points with a 21-2 attack wave. After a comeback, they had no choice but to lose 100-101 and suffered a 2-game losing streak.
After the Kings suffered two consecutive losses, the team's record reached 44 wins and 33 losses, which was the same as the Lakers' record. However, they still ranked in front of the Lakers based on their head-to-head record (4-0 sweep) and continued to occupy the eighth position in the Western Conference.
Judging from the difficulty of the remaining schedule and the momentum of the two teams, the Lakers are very likely to complete the lead in the remaining 5 games.
Coupled with the Rockets' loss to the Heat, the Lakers have locked in the top ten in the Western Conference in advance, and theoretically, the Lakers may even reach fourth in the Western Conference.
For the Lakers, the next two back-to-back games against the Cavaliers and Timberwolves are crucial and also the most difficult challenge in the remaining schedule.
Before the game, the Lakers officially updated the team's injury situation. James (ankle injury) and Nongmei (knee injury) are doubtful for this game.
However, judging from the official training photos released, the Lakers, who have won 8 out of 9 games, are in full swing. Everyone is smiling, and James completed a dunk shirtless.
Faced with such a fierce situation, Rui Hachimura, who has been in hot form recently, spoke out after training.
Rui Hachimura said that among the top ten teams in the Western Conference, almost 4-5 teams have the same record. This is very crazy. Therefore, for the Lakers, every next game is very important, and the team will play one game at a time. , try to win all the games and see what happens.
Reeves, who has maintained full attendance since the start of the game, also talked about the remaining schedule after training.
Reeves said that he will do his best. As long as he plays on the court, he will go all out and fight until the last game is over before he can relax and rest. Now he feels very good and everything is ready for the playoffs.
The outside world is also very optimistic about the Lakers. Among them, famous speaker Perkins said frankly when talking about the potential play-off showdown between the Lakers and the Warriors on the show that he believed James would send Curry home.
Perkins said that the Warriors exerted their strength too late, which resulted in them having to face the Lakers in the play-offs. He did not believe that they could defeat the Lakers. Ever since James put on a Lakers jersey, you know who has been sending Curry home. ? Yes, that person is James, whether it is the play-offs or the playoffs.
Perkins then added that even if the Warriors really beat the Lakers and enter the playoffs with the eighth seed in the Western Conference, they will still face teams like the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder.
Are warriors bad? That was not the case. They performed very well, but it was a pity that their efforts came too late, which prevented them from going further in the playoffs.
