Western Conference Standings Watch: Can the Thunder help the Lakers?
The Lakers have fallen in the standings and need to get some help to start making their way back up the standings.
With the Western Conference being a tight-knit race, this will be a series looking at the standings and games to watch as the Lakers look to secure home court and move up the standings.
It was all good just a week ago.
Last week, Los Angeles was the No. 3 seed in the West and fighting for the second spot, but thanks to this three-game losing streak, they have fallen to fifth.
Here’s a look at the current playoff standings in the middle of the conference:
2. Rockets — 47-26
3. Nuggets — 45-28, 2 GB
4. Grizzlies — 44-28, 2.5 GB
5. Lakers — 43-28, 3 GB
While dropping so far down the standings is disappointing, as you can see, it’s still a log jam between these four teams.
The Lakers are only one game back of the Nuggets, and considering that they own the tiebreaker over Denver and can gain it against Memphis, they can make up this ground with 11 games to go. To do that, Los Angeles needs to start winning games and get help from their foes.
Here are the matchups that Lakers fans should keep an eye on.
Wednesday
Bucks at Nuggets — Denver will take on Milwaukee at home and with Giannis Antetokounmpo out, the Nuggets will have the advantage in this one. Damian Lillard is also out indefinitely with a blood clot in his right calf, so unfortunately, the Bucks' entire season has changed.
Denver is coming off a recent defeat to the Bulls and has lost three of its last four games, so maybe they can keep that poor playing going and help L.A. out on Wednesday.
Thursday
Grizzlies at Thunder — With OKC still at the top of the conference and showing no signs of slowing down, this could be a win for the Thunder, making it a victory for the Lakers. Memphis has been struggling and lost three straight before breaking that streak, thanks to a win over the Utah Jazz.
Rockets at Jazz — Speaking of the tanking Jazz, they play the Rockets on Thursday. Considering that Utah has lost 13 of the last 14 games, don’t expect an upset in this one.
The Rockets have been beating their weaker opponents as of late and are beginning to create separation in the conference. Luckily, Houston has some challenging games ahead, but this one should be a win for the Rockets.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.