The Los Angeles Lakers have officially advanced to the NBA Playoffs after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Lakers are now penciled in as the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will take on the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
This is an ideal situation for the Lakers, who definitely ended up on the easier side of the playoff bracket by being the seventh seed. While they still have to get through some tough teams, the Lakers have to beat the Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings/Golden State Warriors to reach the Western Conference Finals.
If the Lakers would have lost in the play-in and advanced as the eighth seed then they would have had to play the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers/Phoenix Suns. Getting to the playoffs as a seventh seed was a big deal for LA.
It could impact the Lakers’ playoff schedule as well. Here is everything you need to know about the Lakers’ playoff schedule, which will continuously be updated as the NBA Playoffs roll along.
Lakers playoff schedule 2023 (updated):
The Lakers are not going to have home-court advantage in any playoff series they play (unless the eighth seed miraculously makes the Western Conference Finals against LA). Thus, be prepared for each series that LA plays in to start on the road and follow the 2-2-1-1-1 format.
As of the time of writing this, the NBA has only announced one confirmed start time for the Lakers-Grizzlies matchup. This article will be updated periodically to reflect the latest news.
Western Conference Finals vs Denver Nuggets
Just like the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors were disposed of in six games by the Lake Show. Now, the team moves on to take on the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
- Game 1: Tuesday, May 16 at Denver, 5:30 p.m. PDT
- Game 2: Thursday, May 18 at Denver, 5:30 p.m. PDT
- Game 3: Saturday, May 20 at Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PDT
- Game 4: Monday, May 22 at Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PDT
- Game 5: Wednesday, May 24 at Denver, 5:30 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
- Game 6: Friday, May 26 at Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
- Game 7: Sunday, May 28 at Denver, 5:30 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
Second round vs Golden State Warriors
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in six games to advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. LA will take on the Golden State Warriors, who defeated the Sacramento Kings in seven games.
- Game 1: Tuesday, May 2 at Golden State, 7:00 p.m. PDT
- Game 2: Thursday, May 4 at Golden State, 6:00 p.m. PDT
- Game 3: Saturday, May 6 at Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PDT
- Game 4: Monday, May 8 at Los Angeles, 7:00 p.m. PDT
- Game 5: Wednesday, May 10 at Golden State, 7:00 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
- Game 6: Friday, May 12 at Los Angeles, 7:00 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
- Game 7: Sunday, May 14 at Golden State, time 7:00 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
First round vs Memphis Grizzlies
- Game 1: Sunday, April 16 at Memphis, 12 p.m. PDT
- Game 2: Wednesday, April 19 at Memphis, 4:30 p.m. PDT
- Game 3: Saturday, April 22 at Los Angeles, 7:00 p.m. PDT
- Game 4: Monday, April 24 at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. PDT
- Game 5: Wednesday, April 26 at Memphis, 4:30 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
- Game 6: Friday, April 28 at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. PDT (if necessary)
- Game 7: Sunday, April 30 at Memphis, time TBD (if necessary)