The Lakers (38-25) are comfortably in sixth place in the West, but only 4-12 against teams that are .600 or better. Now with five of their next six games against teams that are .600 or better — starting with Sunday's 12:30 p.m. contest against the New York Knicks — the Lakers get a chance to prove their potential to make a playoff run. "But I know even some of the close games we've lost just recently, I know we've done some really good things. But unlike many of their other losses to playoff-contending teams, the Lakers answered Denver's run. The Lakers figured it out Friday behind a dazzling 44-point performance from Doncic, who leads the NBA with 10 40-point games this season.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 08, 2026 00:57 UTC