It looks like it’s going to come right down to the wire for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The struggling team was taken down by the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, 128-110.
After that loss, the team is now in 11th place in the Western Conference and officially out of play-in contention.
If things remain as they are, the Lakers will not even be able to try to get into the playoffs and their season will be done in just a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately, the road ahead is looking tough.
The Lakers have seven games left in the regular season against six opponents (they play DEN twice). Their record so far this season against those teams is a combined 4-10. San Antonio has seven games left against six opponents too (they play POR twice). SAS is 5-11 vs. them.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 30, 2022
Dave McMenamin pointed out that the Lakers have seven games left against six different opponents.
Their record against those competitors is 4-10.
Meanwhile, the 10th-seed San Antonio Spurs are 5-11 against their six opponents.
That means that the Lakers have very little room for error.
The End Of The Road
Currently, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are sidelined because of injuries.
If those two remain out of the game, the chances of the Lakers failing to make the play-in tournament are incredibly high.
In other words, the team needs James and Davis back as soon as possible.
Both players will be re-evaluated before Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz.
But even if James and Davis return, there is no guarantee that they will win enough games to surpass the Spurs for that 10th spot.
The team has lost plenty of games throughout the season, even with both of those superstars.
The sad truth is that the Lakers are looking at the stark possibility that they are about to be booted from the playoffs before they even begin.
It was never supposed to be this bad but this season has been far worse than anyone predicted.
The only good news for Lakers fans is that it may soon be over.
NEXT: Lakers And Spurs Officially In A Battle For A Playoff Spot