Western Conference Standings Watch: Will Grizzlies lose season series to Lakers?
The Lakers have a huge game this weekend against the Grizzlies with a chance to distance themselves in the standing and own the tiebreaker.
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.
Los Angeles had a wonderful win and a heartbreaking loss to come out with a 1-1 split in their back-to-back games this week.
Despite missing an opportunity to sweep those two road games, they gained some ground in the West and are now in front of the Grizzlies.
Here’s a look at the current playoff standings in the middle of the conference:
2. Rockets — 48-26
3. Nuggets — 46-28, 2 GB
4. Lakers — 44-29, 3.5 GB
5. Grizzliess — 44-29, 3.5 GB
There are only nine games left for the Lakers and while they don’t fully control their destiny, they are in a position to own the tiebreaker over most of their Western Conference rivals. Winning their upcoming head-to-head matchups against the Rockets and the Grizzlies will give them a great chance at earning a higher seed.
Here are the matchups that Lakers fans should keep an eye on this weekend.
Friday
Nuggets at Jazz — L.A. fans should just check the score of this game every half hour or so, at most. The Jazz are playing unserious basketball and haven’t beaten an above .500 team since Feb. 28. Denver will be heavily favored in this game, and it would be the most embarrassing loss of the season if they don’t come out of this one victorious.
Saturday
Lakers at Grizzlies — No hyperbole, this is the biggest game of the season so far for Los Angeles. And that was before the Grizzlies fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday.
If they win, not only will that place them a full game ahead of Memphis with eight games left, but it’ll award them the tiebreaker since they’ll win the season series 3-1.
These two are battling in the 4-5 spot right now, so this may also be a first-round playoff preview. The Grizzlies have plenty of talent with Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, but the Lakers have their stars as well and should win this game, even on the road.
Sunday
Rockets at Suns — Phoenix has been playing better and won four straight before losing to Boston on Wednesday. With the Suns just a half-game back from the Mavericks for the tenth and final play-in spot, they have every reason to play hard and win against Houston on Sunday.
Let’s see if Kevin Durant and Devin Booker can help themselves and the Lakers by beating the Rockets, who have been feasting on subpar teams as of late.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.