The Los Angeles Lakers headed into the final day of the regular season with two playoff scenarios. A Lakers win combined with a Blazers loss would secure the team a postseason spot as the No. 6 seed. Any other combination meant the Lakers would have to play their way into the postseason.
Unless the Nuggets mount a comeback against the Blazers, the Lakers are headed to the play-in tournament where they will take on the Warriors on Wednesday, May 19 at 10 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Under this scenario, a Lakers win would secure the No. 7 seed and advance them into the playoffs. A loss means the Lakers would play the winner of the Grizzlies and Spurs matchup on Friday, May 21 for the final Western Conference seed.
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The Lakers Will Likely Face the Warriors in the Play-in Tournament
The Lakers would gain nearly a week of rest if they are able to secure the No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in game. As the No. 6 seed, the Lakers would face either the Nuggets or Clippers on Saturday, May 22 or Sunday, May 23. Heading into their regular-season finale, LeBron James indicated the Lakers were not stressing about the playoff scenarios.
“Let the chips fall where they may,” James said after the Lakers’ win over the Pacers, per Real GM. “As simple as that. We’re ready to go.”
Here is a look at the play-in tournament schedule if the current standings hold.
Current Western Conference Play-in Tournament Matchups
| DATE | MATCHUP | TIME (ET)/TV |
| Wed., May 19 | No. 10 Spurs vs. No. 9 Grizzlies | 7:30 p.m. ESPN |
| Wed., May 19 | No. 8 Warriors vs. No. 7 Lakers | 10 p.m. ESPN |
| Fri., May 21 | Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Winner | TBD ESPN |
The Lakers Opted to Play LeBron & A.D. in the Season Finale
Much has been made about tanking at the bottom of the standings, but there appeared to be some Western Conference teams playing at less than 100% during the final week of the regular season. The Lakers opted to play both LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the team’s season finale against the Pelicans. Despite some of the top teams in the West doing otherwise, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel noted the team had no plans to play anything other than their optimal lineup.
“My opinion is win as many games as you can and let the seeds fall where they may and be unafraid of any matchup,” Vogel noted, per Lakers Nation. “So yeah, I would say I do believe in the basketball gods.”
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