How the Lakers can avoid the NBA’s new play-in tournament

Nick Schwartz
·2 min read

The Lakers are on a winning streak as the 2021 NBA playoffs loom, but can the defending champions avoid the NBA’s new play-in tournament — a system LeBron James has openly lambasted?

Let’s take a look at the standings. The Mavericks (41-29) occupy the No. 6 slot and have a half-game lead on the Blazers (41-30) and a full-game lead on the Lakers (40-30).

Following a wild loss to the Suns on Thursday, the Blazers have one game remaining, against the Nuggets on Sunday. The Mavs have a favorable schedule, with games against the Raptors (on Friday) and Timberwolves (on Sunday). The Lakers have a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday against the Pacers and Pelicans, but crucially lose the tiebreaker with the Mavericks.

Let’s take a team-by-team look at each scenario.

Dallas: Needs to win one of its last two games to avoid the play-in tournament, but it does not own a tiebreaker over the Blazers. If the Blazers and Mavs end the season with the same record, the Blazers get the better seed. The Mavs have a tiebreaker advantage over the Lakers.

Portland: Has tiebreakers over the Lakers and Mavericks. They will avoid the play-in tournament with a win over the Nuggets, and will only fall into the play-in tournament with a loss and two wins from the Lakers.

Los Angeles: Has to win out to avoid the play-in tournament. They can still take the No. 5 seed if the Mavericks lose twice and the Blazers lose to the Nuggets. They will earn the No. 6 seed by winning out, combined with a Blazers loss and at least one Mavericks win.

Essentially, the Lakers have to win out and root for the Blazers to lose on the final day of the season.

  • If the Lakers finish with the No. 7 seed, they would face the Warriors in a one-game playoff to determine the overall No. 7 seed, which would face the No. 2 Phoenix Suns in the first round.

  • If the Lakers finish with the No. 6 seed, they would face, currently, the No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

  • If the Lakers finish with the No. 5 seed, they would face, currently, the No. 4 Denver Nuggets in the first round.