The Lakers’ possible rivals in the first round of the playoffs

The remaining matchups of the Western Conference playoffs will be decided this evening in the final games of the regular season. However, the top three teams have already secured their spots and are simply awaiting their opponents.

Three teams from the West head to the playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the top seed, followed by the Houston Rockets in second place and the Los Angeles Lakers in third.

The Lakers will enjoy home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Their potential opponents have been narrowed down to three teams: the Golden State Warriors, the Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors will take sixth place if they beat the Clippers at the Chase Center this evening; even if they suffer a defeat, they would still occupy sixth as long as the Timberwolves lose to the Jazz.

Minnesota will fall to the sixth seed if they beat Utah and if the Clippers and Nuggets win their respective parties against the Warriors and Rockets.

The team that has the least chance of facing the Lakers in the first round is the Nuggets. The scenario for Denver would be crazy, but it could happen if it ends against Houston and impacts both Minnesota versus Utah and the Clippers versus the Warriors.

When are the 2025 NBA playoffs?

The first round of the 2024-25 NBA playoffs will get underway on April 19. While the exact schedule for the opening round hasn’t been finalized yet, the Lakers’ first game at Crypto.com Arena is expected to take place between April 19 and 21.

The NBA Play-In Tournament is scheduled to take place from April 15 to 18. Once the results are finalized, the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff schedule will become clearer.

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