With big playoff hopes, Lakers visit Jazz
Though they haven’t yet clinched a postseason berth in the Western Conference with four games remaining, including a Tuesday game in Salt Lake City versus the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers still have their sights set high.
They’re not just trying to get into the playoffs by finishing in the top six in the West. They are still planning a parade and thinking about playing well into June.
The Los Angeles Lakers (40-38) are one half-game behind the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors (both 41-38) for the final two guaranteed playoff spots with one week left in the regular season. They’re attached with the New Orleans Pelicans in the seventh spot in the meeting and need one win to secure essentially a play-in a potential open door.
The Lakers have won three straight and six of their last seven. In Sunday’s 134-109 victory over Houston, Anthony Davis had 40 points, and James had 18 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds for a triple-double.
Despite losing six of their last seven games, including a 111-110 defeat in Brooklyn on Sunday after rallying from 23 down, the Jazz (36-42) still have a chance to make the play-in tournament despite the fact that not many people expected them to be in a position to consider the playoffs during a rebuilding season.
To qualify for the postseason, Utah must work hard. The Jazz are 1 1/2 games behind tenth spot Oklahoma City (38-41) and a half-game back of Dallas (37-42).
As the teams compete for playoff positioning, the Jazz and Lakers play twice this week. Their regular-season finale will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Talen Horton-Tucker, a former Lakers guard who spent the previous three seasons in Los Angeles, is on a tear. In his last three games, he has scored 101 points, including 41 in a recent victory over San Antonio. In the fourth quarter, he scored 15 of his 32 points to lead the Jazz’s comeback effort on Sunday.
