When the Lakers used multiple trade assets in order to acquire Russell Westbrook as part of an offseason deal with the Wizards, skeptics wondered if a “Big Three” of Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis could bring a championship to Los Angeles. When the front office later filled out the roster with past-their-prime veterans, those skeptics grew even louder.
But even the biggest Lakers doubters couldn’t have possibly seen this coming. Heading down the final stretch of the 2021-22 regular season, Los Angeles is fighting just to secure a spot in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.
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James-led teams are typically using March and April as ramp-up periods before the championship chase, but this Lakers group still hasn’t found a winning formula through 70-plus games. Could Los Angeles miss out on the NBA Playoffs and Play-In Tournament entirely?
What are the Lakers’ NBA Playoff and Play-In Tournament chances?
As of March 21, the Lakers have a nine percent chance of making the NBA Playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight’s projections. That’s much lower than other possible Play-In Tournament teams such as the Nuggets (98 percent), Clippers (70 percent) and Pelicans (26 percent).
They have a 68 percent chance of making the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, according to The Ringer’s Odds Machine. That model views the Spurs (41 percent) as the biggest challenger to take a spot from the Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans or Lakers.
NBA standings 2022: Western Conference
(Current through March 21 games)
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Suns | 58-14 | — |
| 2. | Grizzlies | 49-23 | 9 |
| 3. | Warriors | 47-24 | 10.5 |
| 4. | Jazz | 45-26 | 12.5 |
| 5. | Mavericks | 43-28 | 14.5 |
| 6. | Timberwolves | 42-30 | 16 |
| 7. | Nuggets* | 42-30 | 16 |
| 8. | Clippers* | 36-37 | 22.5 |
| 9. | Lakers* | 31-41 | 27 |
| 10. | Pelicans* | 30-42 | 28 |
| — | Spurs | 28-44 | 30 |
| — | Trail Blazers | 26-44 | 31 |
| — | Kings | 25-48 | 33.5 |
| — | Thunder | 20-51 | 37.5 |
| — | Rockets | 17-54 | 40.5 |
* NBA Play-In Tournament teams if season ended today
Lakers tiebreakers and head-to-head records
Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker. If teams split the season series, the next tiebreaker is higher winning percentage within the division if teams share a division. If they do not share a division, the tiebreaker is winning percentage in conference games.
Here is how the Lakers have fared against teams in the Play-In race:
- vs. Pelicans: 0-1; Two games remaining
- vs. Spurs: 2-2; Spurs own better conference record
- vs. Trail Blazers: 2-2; Lakers own better conference record
Lakers schedule 2022
The Lakers face the toughest remaining schedule of any NBA team, according to Tankathon. Only four of their final 10 games will be played at home.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
| March 23 | vs. 76ers | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| March 27 | at Pelicans | 7 p.m. | — |
| March 29 | at Mavericks | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| March 31 | at Jazz | 10 p.m. | TNT |
| April 1 | vs. Pelicans | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| April 3 | vs. Nuggets | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| April 5 | at Suns | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| April 7 | at Warriors | 10 p.m. | TNT |
| April 8 | vs. Thunder | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| April 10 | at Nuggets | TBD | — |
How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?
- The NBA Play-In Tournament will be held after the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots. Teams Nos. 7-10 will enter the Play-In Tournament.
- Each conference’s Nos. 7 and 8 teams will face off, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
- Each conference’s Nos. 9 and 10 teams will face off, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
- The loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game and the winner of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
- Beyond the Play-In Tournament, the 2022 NBA Playoffs will follow the typical format, with full best-of-seven series all the way through the NBA Finals.