Following their victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Anthony Davis conveyed to NBA reporters that he and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates are indifferent to their seeding position.
Presently, the Los Angeles Lakers occupy the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings, boasting a record of 34-29. Should the season culminate now, Davis and company would find themselves squaring off against the Golden State Warriors in the 9-10 play-in tournament game.
“It’s about us, for sure. Just about getting in. We’re behind the eight-ball a little bit, but we’re right there. In the event we don’t get the top six, you gotta go through the whole play-in kind of process again. We don’t really care what seed we’re in. We proved it last year. It doesn’t matter. Playoffs is a different animal. … For us, it’s just about getting in and tackling each opponent from there.”
Remaining entrenched in the ninth position would mandate the Lakers to secure triumphs in two consecutive play-in matchups to secure the eighth seed. Likewise, the same stipulation applies should they descend to the 10th slot.
Recalling last season, the Lakers triumphed over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 7-8 play-in contest. Subsequently, they entered the playoffs as the seventh seed and advanced past the Memphis Grizzlies and Warriors to the Western Conference Finals, where they succumbed to a sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers’ upcoming clash is slated against the Sacramento Kings, currently stationed in seventh place in the Western Conference. The Lakers trail Sacramento by a margin of 1.5 games in the standings.
“That’s a very important game,” Anthony Davis said. “We play them twice within the next week or so. That’s gonna be a big game and then the one next week is gonna be a big game. We gotta come in and take care of business.”
Since clinching the championship in 2020, the Lakers’ postseason trajectory has seen them exit in the initial round, endure a postseason absence altogether, and fall short in the conference finals.
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