The Lakers added LeBron James in July and never thought they'd be where they are now. After surging to fourth in the West and beating the Warriors on Christmas, the team fell apart as James got hurt and the young squad went into the tank.
Following a prolonged drama involving Anthony Davis trade rumors and a major ankle injury to Lonzo Ball, the Lakers find themselves battling just to get in the door for the postseason.
This post will update every day with the latest information you need to know about the Lakers' postseason chances, including current betting odds from Westgate, tiebreaker scenarios and more.
Last updated: 3/5/19
Current Lakers Playoffs Odds
Currently off the board
3/4: Yes (+600), No (-900)
3/3: Yes (+600), No (-900)
3/2: Yes (+240), No (-300)
3/1: Yes (+170), No (-200)
2/28: Yes (+150), No (-180)
2/27: Yes (+225), No (-275)
2/26: Yes (+300), No (-400)
2/23: Yes (+200), No (-250)
2/22: Yes (+115), No (-135)
Current Standings: Race for the 8-Seed
- 7th: Clippers, 37-29 (56.1% win rate)
- 8th: Spurs, 36-29 (55.4% win rate)
- 9th: Kings, 32-31 (50.8% win rate)
- 10th: Lakers, 30-34 (46.9% win rate)
- 11th: Timberwolves, 29-34 (46.0% win rate)
Lakers Tiebreaker Situations
In a two-team tie, the following rules will break the tie:
1) Better head-to-head record
- Lakers vs. Clippers: Clippers lead 2-1, one game remaining
- Lakers vs. Spurs: Spurs win tiebreaker 3-1
- Lakers vs. Kings: Lakers lead 2-1, one game remaining
- Lakers vs. Wolves: Wolves win tiebreaker 3-1
2) Division winner
- Clippers: 8.5 games back in the Pacific Division
- Spurs: 3 games back in the Southwest Division
- Kings: 12 games back in the Pacific Division
- Wolves: 13 games back in the Northwest Division
- Lakers: 14.5 games back in the Pacific Division
3) Better win rate within division (if teams are in same division)
Lakers are in the Pacific Division with the Clippers and Kings. Win rates…
- Clippers: 11-3 (78.6%)
- Kings: 3-11 (21.4%)
- Lakers: 7-6 (53.8%)
4) Better win rate in conference games
- Clippers: 24-20 (54.5%)
- Spurs: 26-19 (57.8%)
- Kings: 17-24 (41.5%)
- Wolves: 18-22 (45.0%)
- Lakers: 21-22 (48.8%)
5) Better win rate against playoff teams in own conference
For now, we'll use the top-six teams in the West.
- Clippers: 6-11 (35.3%)
- Spurs: 8-9 (47.1%)
- Kings: 5-13 (27.7%)
- Wolves: 6-8 (42.9%)
- Lakers: 7-9 (43.8%)
6) Better win rate against playoff teams in opposite conference
For now, we'll use the top-five teams in the East.
- Clippers: 2-5 (28.6%)
- Spurs: 4-4 (50.0%)
- Kings: 2-5 (28.6%)
- Wolves: 1-7 (12.5%)
- Lakers: 2-5 (28.6%)
7) Highest point differential
- Clippers: +0.9
- Spurs: +0.7
- Kings: -1.2
- Wolves: -0.4
- Lakers: -1.4
Projections to Make Playoffs
The following projections are the probability for the Lakers to make the postseason…
- FiveThirtyEight: 2%
- Basketball-Reference: 0.1%
- ESPN: 0.1%
Upcoming Schedules
Los Angeles Clippers
- 3/8: vs. Thunder
- 3/11: vs. Celtics
- 3/12: vs. Blazers
San Antonio Spurs
- 3/6: at Hawks
- 3/10: vs. Bucks
- 3/12: at Mavericks
Sacramento Kings
- 3/6: vs. Celtics
- 3/9: at Knicks
- 3/11: at Wizards
Minnesota Timberwolves
- 3/5: vs. Thunder
- 3/6: at Pistons
- 3/9: vs. Wizards
Los Angeles Lakers
- 3/6: vs. Nuggets
- 3/9: vs. Celtics
- 3/12: at Bulls
Comparison to 2012-13 Lakers
- 2012-13 Lakers at 64 games: 33-31, finished 7th at 45-37
- 2018-19 Lakers at 64 games: 30-34, currently 10th
