The Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since early February, winning 21 of 30 games and clinching a postseason berth in the process.
However, the playoffs are a different story.
Despite LA's rise, they enter the final week of the NBA season as the No. 9 seed in the West, and their chances to move up the standings are dwindling. Will the Lakers, who made it from the play-in tournament to the 2023 Western Conference Finals, be forced to try again?
Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have the look and makeup of a playoff team, but they still do a shoddy job. With no seeding set, the Lakers have a good chance of moving up to No. 6 and avoiding the play-in tournament, but a more realistic goal is to at least move up to the 7-8 line in the play-in tournament .
What's the playoff scenario for the Lakers? Here's a look at potential seeding, potential postseason opponents, and the standings at the end of the season.
More: TSN's Steph Noh shares his picks as an All-NBA expert
2024 Lakers Playoff Scenario
With two games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Lakers cannot finish lower than sixth in the Western Conference standings.
According to Basketball-Reference's Playoff Probability Report, LA has a 0.4% chance of moving up to No. 6, potentially guaranteeing a playoff spot. The Lakers are much more likely to finish between 7th and 10th, meaning they will have to participate in the play-in tournament.
The Lakers will need to win at least one game to advance to the NBA playoffs, so they will aim to move up to at least seventh or eighth place.
MORE: Ranking of Lakers, Warriors and other teams facing the most pressure to make the playoffs
How can the Lakers win the 6th seed in the West?
The Lakers could still finish in sixth place even if they split their final two games, but that would require a lot of qualifying.
Below is the scenario for the 6th seed. Mike Trudell of Spectrum Sportsnet:
- If the Lakers are 2-0: The Warriors need to be 2-1 or better. The Kings and Suns need to finish at 1-2 or better.Pelicans must be 0-3.
- If the Lakers are 1-1, the Warriors need to be 1-2 or better.Kings and Suns must be 0-3.
Lakers Play-In Tournament Tiebreaker Explained
There are several possibilities for the Lakers to appear in the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament.
With two games left, here are the chances the Lakers will finish in each seed in the play-in tournament, according to Basketball-Reference.
- 7th place: 3.9%
- 8th place: 8.7%
- 9th place: 25.5 percent
- 10th: 61.6%
Where the Lakers end up will largely depend on how they finish the season and the head-to-head tiebreakers with the Kings, Pelicans, Suns and Warriors.
The development of each season series is as follows.
- kings 4, lakers 0
- lakers 2, Pelicans 1*
- lakers 3, sans 2
- warriors 3, Lakers 1**
Los Angeles' loss on Tuesday dropped the Lakers to 3-1 against the Warriors. Los Angeles can clinch a season series with New Orleans with a win on Sunday, April 14th.
Los Angeles won the head-to-head tiebreaker against Phoenix, but lost to Sacramento during the regular season.
Lakers' potential postseason opponents
play-in tournament
If the season ended today, the 9th-seeded Lakers would host the 10th-seeded Warriors in the play-in tournament.
If the Lakers move up one spot in the play-in tournament, they could face either the Suns, Pelicans or Kings in the 7-8 game.
nba playoffs
Regardless of their placement in the play-in tournament, the Lakers will likely face either the Timberwolves, Nuggets or Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
With four games left, one game separates the top three seeds in the West. If the Lakers finish sixth, they will face the team that finished third. A win in the play-in tournament would allow LA to finish in seventh or eighth place and set up a first-round matchup against a team that finished in one of the top two seeds.
It's worth noting that the Clippers have a 1.3 percent chance of finishing third, which is possible but unlikely.
MORE: NBA Playoffs bracket and today's championship scenario updated
lakers standings 2024
| seed | team | record | Winning rate | GB |
| 6 | sans | 46-33 | .582 | 8 |
| 7 | pelicans | 47-32 | .595 | 8 |
| 8 | kings | 45-34 | .570 | 9 |
| 9 | lakers | 45-35 | .563 | 9.5 |
| Ten | warriors | 44-35 | .557 | 11 |
Lakers remaining schedule
Two of Los Angeles' last two games will be against teams close to them in the standings. The Lakers have already played their final home game, losing to the Warriors on April 9th. The team's final game of the season will be April 14 against the Pelicans.
| date | Opponent | Time (ET) | national tv |
| April 12 | with the grizzlies | 8pm | — |
| April 14th | at the pelicans | 3:30pm | to be decided |
How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?
The NBA Play-In Tournament will be held after the end of the 2023-24 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Teams that finish 1st through 6th in each conference are guaranteed a playoff spot. Team numbers 7-10 will compete in the play-in tournament.
The No. 7 and No. 8 teams in each conference will play against each other, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. The loser still has one chance to advance to the playoffs.
The No. 9 and No. 10 teams in each conference will play against each other, with the winner facing the No. 7 vs. No. 10 loser. 8 games. Loser of No. 9 vs. No. 9. 10 games will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Loser of No. 7 vs. No. 7. Winner of the 8th game, No. 9 vs. No. After that, 10 games will be played. The winner of that game will be the 8th seed for the playoffs. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Outside of the play-in tournament, the 2024 NBA Playoffs will follow a typical format with a complete best-of-seven series leading up to the NBA Finals.
