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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 bold predictions for the second half of the season

Jason Reed|
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 12: LeBron James #23 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on February 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 12: LeBron James #23 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on February 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

3. The Los Angeles Lakers get red-hot to end the season, finish on a 16-4 run

If all goes as planned, the Los Angeles Lakers should make additions to fill in some of the holes on the roster and the team will get Anthony Davis back right in time for the team to go on a run. The first half of the second half might be more of the same, but the final quarter of the season should be really fun for the Los Angeles Lakers.

That is when the Lakers are really going to ramp things up and look to send a statement to the rest of the league. LeBron James and his teams are dangerous when they want to send a message and that message is going to be that AD is back and the Lakers are still the team to beat in the Western Conference.

I expect them to still be third, perhaps even fourth in the West by the time the last 20 games roll around. By then (starting April 10), Davis should be back and ready to produce at his typical level, barring an unfortunate setback.

And that is when the fun begins.

The 20-game stretch starts on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, who have the most star power in the league. The Lakers get back their loss from earlier in the season and expose the Nets’ poor defense en route to a statement win. The Lakers are not a team to mess around with.

Two easy wins against the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets before taking on the Boston Celtics, who are trending in the wrong direction. That is what a four-game winning streak looks like. Then they take on the Utah Jazz in back-to-back games, splitting with the team that will still have the best record in the West at the time.

They have other notable games in that final stretch that will be fun to watch. Two against the Dallas Mavericks, one against the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns. To make a statement, the Lakers go 4-1 in those five games.

The other two losses will be against lesser teams. They have to play Portland on a back-to-back after the Clippers and the Rockets on a back-to-back later that month. Losses like that happen and a 16-4 run to end the season is something special.

Prior to this run, I believe the Los Angeles Lakers record will be 34-18, going 10-5 in the 15 games before the final 20. This red-hot run would put them at 50-22.

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