This isn’t quite the Lakers’ final exams, but it’s still one heck of a test.
They begin the final week of their regular season Sunday in Oklahoma City, facing the NBA’s best team, owners of the third-best offense and, by far, the league’s best defense.
And then they do it again Tuesday.
“It’s a great test. They’re obviously a really good team with probably the front-runner for MVP right now," Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. "So, a team that plays hard every possession and guards at a very high level. And then on the other end, they play with space. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] does what he does, but it’s a good test for us to match up with the No. 1 team in the West and see where we’re at right now and continue to try to prove that we’re a good team too.”
A scheduling quirk has the Lakers playing a pair of games on the road against the Thunder to kick off the final seven days of the regular season. It comes at a time when the Lakers are in a good position — third in the conference — but with little cushion.
Denver, Golden State, Memphis, Minnesota and the Clippers are within two games, and while the Lakers have tiebreak advantages over most, a tumble into the play-in round isn’t out of the question.
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A winning week, 3-2, would guarantee the Lakers at least fifth place, while four wins would lock up home-court advantage for at least the first round. But the first win, one in Oklahoma City, is going to be toughest.
“'I’m glad that their team and their program, people are realizing how good that organization is and what they've built,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Friday. “And I watch them a lot. They're really hard to score on. They have a number of high-level defenders.”
The Thunder’s defense is one of the few in the NBA with the personnel to match up with the Lakers’ stars, who are showing signs of finding rhythm with one another.
Luka Doncic bounced back from a rough game in a loss to the Warriors and a miserable first quarter Friday to get back in rhythm in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
LeBron James has now played eight games since missing two weeks because of a groin injury and his energy, efficiency and three-point stroke have ...
