Lakers dangerously close to play-in after heartbreaking loss

On March 9, the Los Angeles Lakers held the second seed, riding on their newfound defensive poise and the excellent play of their Big 3: LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Barely a few weeks later, they are dangerously close to falling out of the playoff picture. On Thursday, the Lakers blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead to the Chicago Bulls, their largest blown lead in the final 12 minutes since December 1996, per ESPN Stats & Info. The loss marked their fourth in five games and could have easily been a fifth-straight if not for James' tip-in shot in Indiana 24 hours before. 

Los Angeles (44-29) still has a 2.5-game cushion over the sixth- and seventh-seeded LA Clippers (41-31) and Golden State Warriors (41-31), but they're one bad week away from slipping to the seventh or eighth seed. 

The Lakers have the third-toughest remaining schedule. In their final nine games, JJ Redick's team will play the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder twice each, the Memphis Grizzlies once, the Warriors once and the Dallas Mavericks once. 

The only two "gimme" games will be against the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans, but neither team can be taken lightly. Furthermore, the Mavs will be determined to upset the apple cart when Doncic returns to his former stomping grounds on April 9 for the first time since the trade.

If the Lakers slip out of the top six, they will be forced to endure the play-in tournament for a third consecutive year. Such a scenario could spell serious trouble for their chances of making a deep postseason run. They'd receive fewer rest days before the playoffs start and won't have home-court advantage in any of the series.

To make matters worse, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins reported Friday that James hasn't fully recovered from his groin strain. If you're a Lakers fan, the idea of a 40-year-old James playing out the season and a potential play-in tournament just to get to the playoffs doesn't inspire hope.