The Los Angeles Lakers regular season did not materialize as hoped for the defending NBA champions, as they’ll have to earn their spot in the playoffs as the current seventh seed in the Western Conference.
At 42-30, the Lakers finished with an equal record to two conference foes in the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks, but since Los Angeles lost both tiebreakers to the two squads, L.A. had to deal with being the seventh seed rather than fifth, which would’ve eluded them from the play-in tournament.
Constant setbacks became the theme for the Lakers, with injuries to Anthony Davis and LeBron James serving as the pinnacle to an injury-riddled season. However, the team did finish with the best defense in the league.
The coronavirus pandemic didn’t make the situation easier, as Dennis Schroder and Marc Gasol both missed sizable chunks of the season because of health and safety protocols.
Los Angeles finally witnessed a fully healthy roster for the first time in a long time, ironically occurring in their win in the season finale over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Before the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors Wednesday for the seventh seed, let’s analyze Los Angeles’ regular season performance one last time: