To have a successful postseason run, the Lakers require advantageous matchups.

There is still hope for the Los Angeles Lakers, even if they are now the ninth seed in the Western Conference. They made it all the way from the play-in to the Western Conference Finals last year, and they still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing at a high level. They have also been performing at a high caliber lately.

Since February 1st, the New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Dallas Mavericks are the only Western clubs with a greater net rating than the Lakers. as stated in Cleaning the Glass During that time, Los Angeles has performed like a top-six seed. Unfortunately, Los Angeles is 3.5 games behind Dallas for the top slot in the West, making it look hard for them to finish in the top six. As a result, they should anticipate playing in the play-in round.

However, the Lakers have previously demonstrated their ability to win a run of single-elimination games. They won the In-Season Tournament by doing it once more after doing it twice in the play-in round. If the ball falls in their favor, Los Angeles has a chance to score. This is what it would appear like if it occurred

The Lakers are unlikely to climb the rankings to the seventh or eighth spot in actuality. In a perfect world, though, they would find a way to accomplish that and take on the Mavericks, who are now tied for sixth place with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Given that there is just a half-game separating those teams, it is impossible to predict where they will finish the season.

Although Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are two of the best players in Dallas, the Lakers may not want to face them in person.

The Lakers might have their greatest matchup in this one, but it would by no means be an easy one. PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford were added to Dallas’ roster, but they still lack the bulk to compete with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Against the Mavericks this season, James is averaging 28 points, 8.3 rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 50.8% from the field and 41.7% from three. When playing against Dallas, Davis has averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game.

• The Lakers aren’t very good against Doncic or Irving, but Dallas isn’t very good against James and Davis either. Despite their poor record this season, Los Angeles appears to be in the greatest possible matchup when compared to the other teams.