Lakers Rooting Guide for April 12, Discussion Thread

The Lakers are entering the final weekend of the season with so much still up in the air in the play-in race. Here’s a look who fans should be root against on Friday.

Despite there being just three days remaining in the regular season, there is still effectively no clarity in the race for the final play-in spots in the Western Conference.

That is largely because so many games of consequence are still on the docket for the five teams in the race. And while that doesn’t include the Lakers on Friday as they’ll be playing the Grizzlies, there are games of note.

Heading into Friday, here’s a look at the standings

6. New Orleans Pelicans 48-32
7. Phoenix Suns 47-33
8. Sacramento Kings 45-35
9. Golden State Warriors 45-35
10. Los Angeles Lakers 45-35

The Pelicans’ win over the Kings on Thursday means the Lakers aren’t going to be able to catch them, despite the fact they play them on Sunday. Which means, even more, the Lakers don’t have much control over how the standings shake out.

Friday will be the most consequential day of the season. Obviously, the Lakers have to win for any of this to matter, but that should be easier against a severely depleted Memphis side while also likely having LeBron James and Anthony Davis back.

So, let’s take a look at those games and who you should be rooting for and against. These will also serve as a discussion thread for those games so you can hang out and chat with fellow readers and commenters.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors

Effectively whoever won on Thursday between the Pelicans and Kings is someone the Lakers were going to need to root for moving forward. New Orleans has separated from the pack and now has one of their most important games of the season.

The Lakers desperately need the Warriors to lose a game. This is their best (and probably only) shot with the Jazz being their final game of the season.

Phoenix Suns vs. Sacramento Kings

There isn’t really a bad result in this one, but there’s a preferred result. The Kings are tied with the Lakers and in any tiebreaker situation, basically no matter how many teams, Sacramento is finishing ahead of the Lakers.

At the same time, Phoenix has a game against the Wolves on Sunday, a game they could also lose. There’s a non-zero chance at a four-way tie for all the play-in spots — something that wouldn’t be beneficial for the Lakers — in play as well.

For Friday, the best bet would be for the Kings to lose.

A Warriors loss and a Kings loss paired with a Lakers win means Los Angeles could end the night as the eighth seed.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.