Western Conference Standings Watch: Lakers need Eastern Conference teams to best the West
With the play-in standings being tight between the Warriors and Lakers, L.A. needs some Eastern Conference teams to beat their Western Conference foes this week.
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.
Despite coming into the season with high hopes and eyes on title contention, the Lakers find themselves in a similar spot to last season in the thick of the play-in race. With eyes of moving out of the play-in race and into the playoffs, we’ll be regularly looking at how that race is going.
The Lakers are currently in the No. 9 spot in the West, unable to climb up in the standings despite winning seven of their last 10 games. The red-hot Golden State Warriors have won eight of their last 10 games and are nipping at the Lakers' heels at the No. 10 spot, just a half-game behind Los Angeles.
To jump in the standings, the Lakers must pass the Sacramento Kings in seventh and Dallas Mavericks in eighth, who have identical records heading into Tuesday's slew of games.
L.A. is three games behind this duo, so it’s going to be a tough task to move up the rankings, especially with so many Western Conference teams playing well.
Games to Watch
Tuesday
Warriors at Wizards - With Golden State right behind the Lakers in the standings, purple and gold fans should root for a loss in every game the Warriors play. It shouldn't be hard for fans given the rivalry between the two California teams.
Mavericks at Cavaliers - A Cavaliers win would help the Lakers gain ground and get close to that No. 7 and No. 8 spot. This is the first game of a back-to-back for Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and company.
Wednesday
Mavericks at Raptors - Dallas has been clicking on all cylinders as of late and Toronto has won three straight, so something will have to give in Canada when these two teams face one another on Wednesday. Perhaps a big Scottie Barnes game can help the Lakers out?
Kings at Nuggets - The Nuggets have given the Lakers fits over the past two seasons, beating them six consecutive times, but on Wednesday, they'll be pulling for Nikola Jokić to have a big game against the Kings. Sacramento has been up and down over the past ten games with a 5-5 record, so a loss against the defending champs is probable.
Thursday
Warriors at Knicks - The Knicks continue solidifying themselves as title contenders in the East and are currently the No. 4 seed. The Lakers will need Jalen Brunson to be spectacular and slow down the Warriors' offense, which has started to click in a way we haven't seen most of the year.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.