The Los Angeles Lakers are far from where anyone expected them to be with just two weeks remaining in the NBA season.
For a team once seen to be a preseason favorite to win the NBA title, the Lakers are now in jeopardy of missing the playoffs altogether.
Lakers’ odds to win NBA Championship
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Preseason: +350
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As of March 29th: +18000
Entering the season, the Lakers had the second-best odds to win it all. Now, their current odds are eighth worst among the 25 teams still eligible to make the playoffs.
With eight games remaining on their schedule, Los Angeles finds itself holding on to a one-game lead on 10th place in the West, meaning they are right on the fringe of missing the Play-In Tournament.
Can LeBron James and Co. close out the season strong and give the Lakers a chance to make an unlikely playoff run? Or will their misfortunes continue as they spiral out of the playoff picture completely?
Take a look at how things could shake out for the Lakers in the final two weeks.
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What are the Lakers’ NBA Playoff and Play-In Tournament chances?
As of March 28, the Lakers have a two percent chance of making the NBA Playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight’s projections. That’s much lower than other possible Play-In Tournament teams such as the Timberwolves (93 percent), Clippers (70 percent), Pelicans (27 percent) and even the Spurs (7 percent), who are currently trailing the Lakers in the standings.
They have a 50 percent chance of making the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, according to The Ringer’s Odds Machine. That model views the Spurs (59 percent) as the biggest challenger to take a spot from the Timberwolves, Clippers, Pelicans or Lakers.
NBA standings 2022: Western Conference
(Current through March 28 games)
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Suns | 61-14 | — |
| 2. | Grizzlies | 53-23 | 8.5 |
| 3. | Warriors | 48-28 | 13.5 |
| 4. | Mavericks | 46-29 | 15 |
| 5. | Jazz | 45-30 | 16 |
| 6. | Nuggets | 45-31 | 16.5 |
| 7. | Timberwolves* | 43-33 | 18.5 |
| 8. | Clippers* | 36-39 | 25 |
| 9. | Pelicans* | 32-43 | 29 |
| 10. | Lakers* | 31-43 | 29.5 |
| — | Spurs | 31-44 | 30 |
| — | Trail Blazers | 27-48 | 34 |
| — | Kings | 27-48 | 34 |
| — | Thunder | 22-53 | 39 |
| — | Rockets | 20-55 | 41 |
Lakers tiebreakers and head-to-head records
Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker. If teams split the season series, the next tiebreaker is higher winning percentage within the division if teams share a division. If they do not share a division, the tiebreaker is winning percentage in conference games.
Here is how the Lakers have fared against teams in the Play-In race:
- vs. Pelicans: 0-2; One game remaining
- vs. Spurs: 2-2; Spurs own better conference record
Lakers remaining schedule
The Lakers face the second-toughest remaining schedule of any NBA team, according to Tankathon. For comparison of the two teams surrounding them in the standings, the Pelicans have the seventh-easiest remaining schedule, while the Spurs have the fourth-hardest remaining schedule.
The Pelicans’ toughest remaining games are matchups with the Grizzlies and Warriors, while they still have one game looming against the Lakers.
The Spurs have more than a few tough games remaining, facing off against the Grizzlies, Warriors, Mavericks, Nuggets and Timberwolves – all teams that currently have a top-six spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.
He is the Lakers’ remaining schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
| March 29 | at Mavericks | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| March 31 | at Jazz | 10 p.m. | TNT |
| April 1 | vs. Pelicans | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| April 3 | vs. Nuggets | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| April 5 | at Suns | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| April 7 | at Warriors | 10 p.m. | TNT |
| April 8 | vs. Thunder | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| April 10 | at Nuggets | TBD | — |
How many times has LeBron James missed the playoffs?
James has only missed the playoffs three times during his illustrious 19-year career.
In his first two seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, in 2003-04 and 2004-05, James missed the playoffs. He then went on a ridiculous run of 13-consecutive playoff appearances, reaching the NBA Finals in eight-straight seasons from 2010 to 2018.
His next missed playoff appearance didn’t come until 2018-19 in his first season with the Lakers. A hamstring injury forced James to miss 17 games – the first extended absence of his career due to injury. Los Angeles missed the postseason but bounced back in a big way the following year, making a run to win the NBA title in 2020 once the season resumed from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last season, in 2020-21, the Lakers needed the Play-In Tournament to qualify for the playoffs before being knocked out by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. This was LeBron’s first-ever first-round exit of his career.
Will 2021-22 mark the fourth time in his career that James misses the playoffs?
Do the Lakers have a 2022 NBA Draft pick?
By way of the trade that helped the Lakers acquire star forward Anthony Davis in the 2019 offseason, they do not own their 2022 first-round pick.
If the Lakers’ selection falls within picks 1-through-10, it will be rewarded to the Pelicans. If the Lakers’ selection falls within slots 11-30, it will be rewarded to the Memphis Grizzlies (via Pelicans).
Also, the Lakers do not own a second-round pick this season, as it is owed to the Spurs.
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