The 2023-24 NBA season has been a roller coaster for the Los Angeles Lakers. They have at times looked like a .500 team that struggles with consistency, and at others have appeared to be one of the more feared teams in the Western Conference. But things might be clicking at just the right time for LeBron James and company, as the team has now won five games in a row.
Lakers Create Breathing Room In 9th Place
The Lakers have won 5 straight games. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SPFay19T3e
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 28, 2024
A couple of weeks back, it appeared as though the Lakers’ playoff hopes might be in danger. They were in the 10th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, looking destined to play in the 9 vs 10 matchup in the Play-In Tournament. They and the Golden State Warriors were jockeying for position at the bottom, but the two have had different results over the last handful of games.
After a surge during the month of February, the Warriors have fallen on hard times recently. After defeating the Bucks by 35 points back on March 8th, Golden State lost six of nine games to see their record drop to nearly .500, but were able to pick up big back to back wins in Florida earlier this week.
During the same span, the Lakers have been hot. They have won 7 of their last 9 games, including each of their last five, in order to create some breathing room at the bottom of the playoff race in the West. After falling behind the Warriors and into 10th place on March 18th, they are now in the 9th spot and are a healthy 2.5 games up on Stephen Curry and company.
So instead of looking in the rearview mirror, the Lakers can start to look ahead, as the gap between them and the 8th seed is an even smaller margin.
Lakers Now Just 1.5 Back Of The Kings
LeBron and Rui lead the way as the @Lakers win their 5th-straight game 🙌
Rui: 32 PTS, 11-14 FGM, 7 3PM (career high), 10 REB
LeBron: 23 PTS, 14 REB, 12 AST pic.twitter.com/EX1CrtMYoY— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2024
The dog fight between the five teams jockeying for the 5th and 6th seeds has resulted in the Sacramento Kings falling to 42-30, and they have just one more win than Los Angeles does that this point. The two extra losses put the Lakers 1.5 games back of their in-state rivals, and the Kings have a schedule that is far more difficult heading down the stretch.
In order to continue their winning ways, they’ll have to do so while playing on the road. They are currently in the middle of a 6 game road trip with four left to play, though their opponents for the next week aren’t exactly the cream of the crop. After they play against the Pacers on Friday, they will take on the Nets, Raptors, and Wizards before heading home for three tough contests. Given the difficulty of the schedule for the Kings and Suns, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Lakers overtake one of them by the time they make it back to Los Angeles.
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