While the Oklahoma City Thunder have secured the top spot in the West, everything else is still up in there with just a few weeks of games left.
The Lakers are part of a four-team log jam fighting for the No. 2 seed, with two games separating the teams. There is also still enough time for the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves to enter the mix.
With the standings so tight in the West, we may even end up with some identical records after all 82 games are played.
If that happens, we will have to use the tiebreaker to decide who will get the higher seed. Here is the tiebreak procedure for two-way ties via NBA.com.
TIEBREAKER BASIS FOR TWO-WAY TIES:
(-) Tie breaker not needed (better overall winning percentage)
(1) Head-to-head won-lost percentage
(2) Division leader wins tie from team not leading a division
(3) Division won-lost percentage for teams in the same division
(4) Conference won-lost percentage
(5) W-L Percentage vs. Playoff teams, own conference
(6) W-L Percentage vs. Playoff teams, other conference
(7) Net Points, all games
Below is the current tiebreaker situation between the Lakers and all the contending teams.
Houston Rockets
The tiebreak advantage is still up in the air between the Rockets and the Lakers. They’ve only played each other once and have two games left. The good news for Los Angeles is both games will be at home.
Denver Nuggets
With Los Angeles winning the last matchup between the Nuggets, the season series ends even at 2-2. So, if they end up with the same record, we have to go to the second tiebreaker to determine the higher seed.
That goes to the division winner, and the Nuggets can’t win theirs since the Thunder have already clinched it. The Lakers are currently winning the Pacific Division, so they have the tiebreaker so long as they win their division.
If they lose the Pacific, we will have to use the third tiebreaker, which goes to the team with the higher win percentage within their division.
If that happens, the Lakers will still have the edge over the Nuggets. L.A. is currently 12-3 in the Pacific and Denver is 7-6 in the Northwest.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Lakers are sitting pretty against the Grizzlies, with a 2-1 series lead and one game left to play. If they win, they will own the tiebreaker outright. If they lose, it will depend on whether Memphis wins its division.
They are two games behind the Rockets in the Southwest, so anything can still happen. If they do win their division and the Lakers stay on top of the Pacific, we have to look at the division record to break the tie. Currently, the Lakers have the edge given that they are 12-3 in their division and the Grizzlies are 10-5 in the Southwest.
Los Angeles should make it easier on themselves and just beat Memphis when they face each other on Mar. 29.
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles owned Golden State this year and won all three games against their inner-state rival. With only one game left, they have the tiebreaker in hand.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers and the Lakers have played all their regular-season games, and the purple and gold won the series 3-1. If the standings are even, the Lakers will be the higher seed over their little brother.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Lakers-Timberwolves ended the season series even at 2-2, but Minnesota has already lost the division to OKC, so the Lakers will own the tiebreaker if they stay on top of the Pacific. Even if they lose the Pacific, they are in a great spot since they 12-3 in the division while the Wolves are 9-5.
The Lakers are in a position to win virtually every tiebreaker in the Western Conference. They own it outright over the Warriors and Clippers and can have it against the Rockets if they beat them on the last day of March.
With a win in their last matchup, Los Angeles can also own the tiebreaker over Memphis. Considering how well LA has played in their division, they'll likely have the advantage over the Nuggets and Wolves.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at@ECreates88or on Bluesky at@ecreates88.bsky.social.