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The LA Lakers have been a much better team since the trade deadline, despite LeBron James missing most of that time. In fact, analyst Nick Wright said that he believes the Lakers will be the sixth seed by next Thursday.
"I'm here to tell you, look at those next three games. The Lakers are winning them all," Wright said on "First Things First." "They're going to have a four-game winning streak. They're going to be 39-37 going into that game at Minnesota and ... I have never said the Lakers are the sixth seed, but I am here to tell you, on March 30th, they will be the sixth seed.
"On March 30th, the Lakers, who have the tiebreaker with Golden State and who will have the tiebreaker with OKC when they win tomorrow – OKC on a back-to-back – the Lakers on March 30th will be the sixth seed."
Check out Nick Wright's comments on the Lakers below:
The LA Lakers (36-37) are tied for ninth in the Western Conference, but are in 10th place because of tiebreakers. However, they are just-one-and-a-half games behind the sixth-place Golden State Warriors (38-36).
They are just two-and-a-half games behind the fourth-place Phoenix Suns (38-34), but that's a lot of ground to make up for a team with only nine games remaining.
There is still plenty to figure out in the Western Conference as the Suns and the 12th-placed New Orleans Pelicans (35-37) are separated by just three games.
Can the LA Lakers contend for a title?
Before the trade deadline, there was not much of a chance that the LA Lakers could compete for the title.
The Lakers' revamped roster has gone 11-6 since implementing their new pieces despite playing without several key players for stretches. Superstar forward LeBron James has played in just three of those 17 games. While getting James back will be key, there is no timetable for his return.
James will need to build chemistry with the new pieces in order for the franchise to truly contend. However, the Western Conference appears wide open. If Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves can continue to perform at a high level, the Lakers are a team that nobody will want to face in the postseason.
That optimism exists despite never getting to .500 all season after going 33-49 last season. A 2-10 start this season continues to haunt the Lakers.
The Lakers have the sixth-easiest strength of schedule remaining. If they are able to continue to overcome James' absence and he is able to seamlessly fit in with the new pieces, LA could surprise people in the postseason.
Guess the Lakers players!
