The Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture on Friday evening after taking down the Houston Rockets. With this fact, the Lakers will be hosting the first-round playoff series with home-court advantage.
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But who they will be playing remains very much up in the air as we head into the final day of the regular season. Due to how close the race out West is, the Lakers essentially have three options: the Golden State Warriors, the Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On Sunday, the Warriors will be facing off against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Timberwolves will play against the Utah Jazz, and the Denver Nuggets will face the Houston Rockets.
Here are the scenarios for Los Angeles to play each team:
Warriors: Warriors beat Clippers, Wolves beat Jazz, Nuggets beat Rockets. There is also a scenario where Golden State would play the Lakers by beating the Clippers, having the Wolves still beat the Jazz, and the Rockets beat the Nuggets.
Nuggets: The Nuggets would play Los Angeles if they lose to the Rockets, have the Clippers beat the Warriors, and the Wolves beat the Jazz.
Timberwolves: Minnesota would be taking on Los Angeles with a win over the Jazz, the Clippers beating the Warriors, and the Nuggets taking down the Rockets.
Many fans don’t care who the Lakers play, as they have been very good against opposing West teams all season long. But the Warriors could present some issues due to their recent hot streak, and the Nuggets have been a playoff nightmare for the Lakers over the past few seasons.
There are pros and cons to facing each team and they are all great. The Wolves could present issues with their length on the perimeter and the size in the middle with center Rudy Gobert.
All in all, the Lakers are in a good spot, and they will be ready for whomever they face off against. The team has a lot of confidence, and they believe they can go on a run for another NBA title.
