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The LA Lakers secured a decisive 120-109 victory over the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, bolstering their playoff chances amid the season’s stretch run.
LA was spearheaded by a monster two-way performance from superstar big man Anthony Davis. He finished with 27 points, a season-high 25 rebounds, a career-best seven steals and three blocks on 52.9% shooting. Davis capitalized on the Wolves being without star big men Rudy Gobert (hamstring) and Karl-Anthony Towns (knee).
Meanwhile, Davis’ co-star LeBron James tallied a team-high 29 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and two 3-pointers on 62.5% shooting, nearly recording a triple-double.
The win marked the Lakers’ second straight as they continue to work toward moving out of play-in positioning and into a top-six seed. However, they still have a bit of ground to make up.
On that note, below is a brief snapshot of where the Lakers stand in the Western Conference playoff picture with 16 games remaining.
LA Lakers Playoff Picture: Standings
Following Sunday’s victory over Minnesota, the Lakers (36-30) remain ninth in the West. They are 1.5 games ahead of the 10th-placed Golden State Warriors (33-30) and 6.0 games ahead of the 11th-placed Houston Rockets (29-35). So, at a minimum, LA has a play-in spot all but locked up.
However, the Lakers also have a prime opportunity to move into the West’s top six and avoid the play-in. They trail the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns (37-27) by just 2.0 games. Moreover, only 4.0 games separate them from the fifth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans (39-25).
Thus, a strong finish could propel LA into the West’s upper echelon.
LA Lakers Playoff Picture: Schedule
As for the Lakers’ remaining matchups, they have the league’s 17th-hardest strength of schedule. Their average opponent winning percentage is .495 over their final 16 games.
Nevertheless, 10 of their last 16 contests come against teams above .500. That includes matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks (42-23) and Minnesota Timberwolves (44-21), two of the league's five best teams.
Furthermore, nine of LA’s last 16 games take place on the road, including Wednesday’s showdown against the Sacramento Kings (36-27).
So, the Lakers face a fairly challenging road to the playoffs.
LA Lakers Playoff Picture: X-factor
For the season, the Lakers rank just 17th in offensive rating (115.0). However, since Jan. 15, they have improved to second in offensive rating (119.3), trailing only the Boston Celtics (122.2).
During that stretch, LA has five players averaging 13.0-plus points and three averaging 21.0-plus points per game. The Lakers’ Big 3 of James, Davis and point guard D’Angelo Russell is averaging a whopping 72.5 ppg during that span. Meanwhile, the team has gone 17-9.
So, if Russell continues to be a dependable third option and LA maintains its well-balanced offensive attack, that should bode well for its playoff chances.
