The Los Angeles Lakers have only seven regular season games left before the real basketball begins. Nearly every scenario is still possible for JJ Redick's team, as they could easily finish anywhere from second in the West to ensure homecourt advantage in the first two rounds, all the way down to eighth, which would send them on the road in the play-in.
As you could imagine, every one of L.A.'s remaining games will be vitally important in determining where they fit into the postseason hierarchy. Unfortunately, the remaining slate is far from easy, as they still have to host the Warriors and Rockets and travel twice to the Thunder and once to the Mavericks for what is sure to be an emotional homecoming for Luka Dončić.
Seven teams are within 5.5 games of each other in the West, making it a near-certainty that tiebreakers will come into play to sort out the final mess. For Lakers fans that are anxious as to how their favorite team stands in that regard, fear not. Below we're looking at the tiebreaker scenarios between the Lakers and every other contender.
Lakers vs. Rockets: Advantage TBD
The Lakers got a big win over the Rockets on Monday night, but Houston still owns a three-game lead in the standings. The tiebreaker probably isn't going to come into play here, but if it does, it will be determined by the final meeting between these teams on Friday, Apr. 11. If the Rockets win, that would make it nearly impossible for the Lakers to catch them, but a win by LeBron James and company would give them a chance to shave two more games off between now and the regular season finale against the Blazers.
Lakers vs. Nuggets: Advantage Lakers
The Lakers have the edge in win percentage over the Nuggets at this exact moment, though the teams are essentially tied in the standings. The reason for the disparity is that the Nuggets have played two more games, with one extra win and one extra loss to show for it.
L.A.'s 120-108 triumph over Denver a couple of weeks ago could prove to be the biggest win of the season, as it evened the season series 2-2. If head-to-head record is the same, the next tiebreaker goes to the team that wins its division, which in this case is the Lakers. The Nuggets have the misfortune of playing in the same division as the top-seeded Thunder, so as long as the Lakers don't give up four games in the loss column to the Clippers, this one's in the bag. Even if they did, L.A.'s 32-13 record against the West is better than Denver's 29-19, which means that the Lakers would win the third tiebreaker, as well.
Lakers vs. Warriors: Advantage Lakers
The Lakers play the red-hot Warriors on Thursday night, but thankfully for the purple and gold, that game is irrelevant as far as the tiebreaker goes due to L.A.'s 3-0 record against Golden State this year. That includes a two-point win on Christmas Day and two subsequent wins, all before either Jimmy Butler or Luka Dončić arrived.
Though the game won't matter for the tiebreaker, a win by Golden State would pull them within a game of the Lakers and give them a chance to jump them outright in the season's final week. It will also be a revelatory preview on how these teams match up with their new star additions.
Lakers vs. Timberwolves: Advantage Lakers
If you're sensing a theme here, it's because the Lakers have been really damn good against their fellow West contenders this year. They have the tiebreaker edge over Alex Rodriguez's new team not because of head-to-head record (the teams have split their four games this year), but because just like the Nuggets, the Wolves are stuck with the Thunder in the Northwest Division. If the Clippers manage to pass the Lakers in the Pacific, it still wouldn't affect things here, because Minnesota has a conference record that's 3.5 games worse.
Lakers vs. Grizzlies: Advantage Lakers
The Lakers may not have to worry about tying the Grizzlies, because Memphis has completely imploded. Taylor Jenkins was shockingly fired after nearly six years as head coach, but it's done nothing to stop their losing streak, which is now at four games and counting.
Memphis is currently 2.5 games behind the Lakers, but in the unlikely event they turn things around and L.A. hits the skids, the Lakers still have the tiebreaker by virtue of their 3-1 edge in head-to-head play this year.
Lakers vs. Clippers: Advantage Lakers
The final team that the Lakers could conceivably finish in a tie with is their crosstown rivals. The Clippers have won eight of their last 10 to even make this a conversation, but like the Grizzlies, they're 2.5 games back with only six games left to play.
The Clips are three games back in the loss column, which means that they basically need to gain four games before the regular season ends. Tying the Lakers won't be enough, because despite winning the first meeting between these two teams in mid-January, Ty Lue's team has come up short in the other three matchups.
So there you have it. At the risk of being repetitive, the tiebreakers favor the Lakers every time, with the tiebreaker against the Rockets the only thing left to be determined. If the Lakers take care of business in their last seven games, they have the inside edge on the No. 3 seed, and possibly No. 2 if Houston stumbles.