The tiebreaker between the Lakers, Warriors, Suns, Kings and Pelicans explained: Who has the advantage?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been performing exceptionally well in the NBA for the past two months. They have a good chance to avoid the nine vs. ten play-in tournament game, which would improve their odds of making a deep playoff run. The chances of winning two straight single-game events to escape the play-in are low.

If the Lakers win against New Orleans, they will hold the tiebreaker because they have won two of the three previous games. This means that the Lakers will need to be just one game back of the Pelicans going into Sunday. The Lakers need to make up one loss to the Pelicans over their next two games while New Orleans plays three more before Sunday.

The Lakers need to win their final five Games to have any chance of avoiding the play-in tournament. Although they have a slim chance of finishing fifth or sixth, it is more likely that they will finish in the seventh or eighth spot or end up in the play-in tournament’s losers bracket. The Western Conference is more comPetitive this season, and the Lakers need to catch up with four teams ahead of them in the standings - the Mavericks, Suns, Pelicans, and Kings.

Although the odds are against the Lakers, they can increase their chances of making the playoffs or even evading the play-in tournament altogether.

Kings, Pelicans, and Suns

It appears that both the Kings and Pelicans are not going to finish as high in the standings as they had hoped. While Sacramento had a remarkable season in 2023 and New Orleans has shown glimpses of dominance, both teams have been relatively disappointing this season.

Despite being in good Health, both these teams have struggled to comPete in the highly comPetitive Western Conference. Now, they are fighting to avoid the play-in tournament in the final week of the regular season. Currently, New Orleans is ahead by a Game and holds the tiebreaker after winning all four Games against the Kings this season. However, if Sacramento manages to win Thursday’s Game, they would only need to outplay the Pelicans by a Game.

The Sacramento Kings will be hosting the Phoenix Suns in the final game of the Western team’s battle to avoid the play-in tournament. The Suns have had an even more disappointing season than the Kings or Pelicans, mainly due to injuries and a lack of continuity. Their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal have played in fewer than half of their games, and their record reflects that.

Regardless of the reason, these teams are now in a position where they could either avoid the play-in tournament entirely or drop down to the ninth seed, which is not an enviable position.

The upcoming Game against the Suns is a massive opportunity for Sacramento as they can capture the tiebreaker and also gain a Game on the Suns. This means they would only need to play even with Phoenix over the final three Games.