Lakers vs. Cavaliers Preview and Game Thread: One last chance to capitalize

It’s the last chance for the Lakers to push up to a more ideal spot in the Western Conference standings as they take on the Cavs.

After a long six-game road trip, the Lakers are back home where they will be greeted by the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. This will be the first of three consecutive home games before the Lakers wrap up the season on the road.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

When: 12:30 p.m. PT, Apr 6.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

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With exactly five games remaining on their schedule, the Lakers (44-33) have the opportunity to ascend as high as the sixth seed in the competitive Western Conference standings before the season ends.

However, that would mean certain things have to really go their way, like hoping the Sacramento Kings (44-32) go 2-4, New Orleans Pelicans (45-31) finish 3-3, Phoenix Suns (45-31) somehow end their last six games with a 4-2 record while L.A. wins out all the way.

It’s a tough goal to accomplish but one that’s not impossible. Perhaps the most realistic path for the purple and gold is for them to end up in either the seventh or eighth seed. That way, instead of hoping for three teams to lose most of their games, the Lakers only need one of the Kings or Pelicans — two squads currently spiraling downwards due to health issues — to fall off in the standings so they could overtake them.

But since most of these scenarios are out of the Lakers’ control, they can only focus on one thing and that’s to beat whoever is in front of them. Saturday’s matinee match against the Cavaliers is going to be tough as this team is also finding ways to attain a comfortable spot on their side of the standings. Here’s what to look out for ahead of this game:

A Cavs team that’s looking to get right

The Cavs actually haven’t been playing well as of late as they’ve lost six out of their last 10 games. In those 10 games, they’ve ranked 21st in the league in offense, 27th in defense and 24th in net rating, which is the lowest for them all season. Despite getting Donovan Mitchell back, the team hasn’t found their groove and that confidence they need to enter the postseason with.

This means that the Lakers absolutely can’t come out flat in this one. A game at home after a long road trip and this being held in the afternoon isn’t really the best combination, but now is not the time for the purple and gold to slack off. They’re going to face a team with two dynamic scoring guards, which they don’t usually do well against.

It’s going to be interesting to see which one of D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, Spencer Dinwiddie or even Max Christie — who contained Mitchell so well in their previous matchup — earns Darvin Ham’s trust and gets the most minutes for this one. They key to this game is matching up well with Cleveland’s backcourt and size. It’s also going to be fun to see how the Lakers’ current starting five squares off against the Cavs’ own unique lineup.

Is the Lakers’ bench scoring a concern?

Another trend to watch is the Lakers’ bench, which has only scored 65 points in the last six games. In one of those games, specifically against the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, the Lakers’ bench only scored two points, which thankfully didn’t matter at the end because the starters took care of business early on.

The Lakers are coming off their best road trip of the season and can build off that as they look to capitalize on the opportunity to earn a more ideal spot in the standings. Will they finally answer the call and come up clutch by moving up the standings? We’ll know by this time next week.

Let’s see if the Lakers can further improve their chances of doing just that by beating the Cavaliers on Saturday.

Notes and Updates:

• Before we get to the injury report, here’s a fun fact: LeBron James is 18-3 against the Cavaliers in his career. Hopefully that improves after Saturday’s game.
• For the Lakers, Anthony Davis (left knee hyperextension) and LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) are both questionable. Jalen Hood-Schifino (lumbar disc surgery), Jarred Vanderbilt (right midfoot sprain) and Christian Wood (left knee surgery) are out.
• Saturday’s game is the first game of a back-to-back for the Lakers, who will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. This will be the last time they play back-to-back games this season.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani