Why the entire Lakers' season is on the line vs Warriors

The Los Angeles Lakers sit ninth in the Western Conference entering the final week of the regular season. No franchise with title aspirations wants to be in the Play-In Tournament, but even less so in the nine versus ten game. The Lakers will have to win two straight just to make the playoffs as the eighth seed. There is still hope of moving up and every game should have a playoff atmosphere, especially a potential Play-In preview versus the Golden State Warriors on April 9.

LA has won eight of their last ten and had a four-game winning streak snapped by the Timberwolves on Sunday night. Golden State is virtually locked into tenth in the standings. The Warriors' only hope of moving up is winning out and the Lakers losing their remaining games.

LA can clinch ninth with a victory over the Warriors, but they have higher aspirations. Can the Lakers move up further? It starts with a home win tonight, but that alone won’t get the job done.

The Lakers must win over the Warriors and keep racking up victories

Los Angeles has three games left in the regular season, including two massive contests against teams they are fighting for postseason position. After hosting the Warriors on Tuesday night, they go on the road to battle the Grizzlies and Pelicans. All three are winnable games if LeBron James and Anthony Davis are back in the lineup.

If things end in a tie, the scenarios can get wild. The Lakers have a 30 percent chance of avoiding the Play-In Tournament altogether if they win their final three games. Losing the last three would put them in tenth for certain. It will take at least two victories to push LA up in the standings and get them out of that dreaded nine versus ten game to start the Play-In Tournament.

The Lakers will also need help. They are 0.5 game behind the Sacramento Kings for eighth and 1.5 games back of the Suns and Pelicans, who sit sixth and seventh. Los Angeles will be rooting against those three teams as they attempt to rack up victories. If the Lakers win their next two games, Sunday’s In-Season Tournament semifinal rematch versus Zion Williams and New Orleans could be massive.

The pressure is on the Lakers against the Warriors. At a minimum, they would love to gain a slight edge over the team they may face in the Play-In Tournament. Golden State has won two of the first three meetings this season, including their showdown just three weeks ago. The Dubs have a ton riding on this game and their season, so there will be fireworks.

Expect a rowdy crowd at Crypto.com arena on Tuesday night. Stephen Curry and the Warriors are healthy and eager to try to move up to ninth to host that Play-In contest. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are questionable for the Lakers. Will both suit up in a massive contest? The Los Angeles Lakers need all help possible. Stay tuned for what should be a wild and exciting contest.