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The Los Angeles Lakers have secured their spot in the playoffs. Now, with six games remaining in the regular season, they have a chance to solidify their claim to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
LA’s path is relatively simple: four wins, or four Denver Nuggets losses, or a combination of two Lakers wins and two Nuggets losses would keep them in the third seed at the end of the season. With two tanking teams in the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz, that should be more than feasible — but getting at least a split in an upcoming two-game series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder would be crucial for the Lakers, and for Luka Doncic’s MVP campaign.
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The top six in the Western Conference are pretty close to set, with the current sixth seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves, holding a 4.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns entering Thursday. The Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Nuggets are all locked in, along with the Lakers. The Houston Rockets can clinch on Thursday night with a Suns loss.
Here’s a quick rundown of possible first-round playoff matchups the Lakers may face, ranked from most to least desirable.
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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors’ Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.
1 / 8
Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors’ Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.
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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Washington Wizards’ Cam Whitmore dunks the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at Capital One Arena.
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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.
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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents
Oct. 25: The Denver Nuggets’ Christian Braun dunks the ball against the Phoenix…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lakers-playoff-scenarios-ranking-las-004058434.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-03 00:40:00
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