The champion is looking for a way to the playoffs through the sieve

The defending champions, the LA Lakers, failed to overtake Portland, so they will have to play in the playoffs. Their first rival is Golden State, and the winner of that match will take the 7th position in the West and play with Phoenix in the quarterfinals of the conference. The losers will have another chance against Memphis or San Antonio

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Most criticized play-in, now he has to play it: LeBron James, Photo: Reuters
Most criticized play-in, now he has to play it: LeBron James, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

With five consecutive victories, the reigning champion tried to reach the playoffs, to avoid the biggest stupidity, as LeBron James characterized the play-in tournament, but failed - before reaching the playoffs for the title, the LA Lakers will have to pass sieve of certain qualifications.

The Lakers defeated New Orleans 110:98 in the last match of the regular season, but they could not take the 6th place in the Western Conference, because Portland was better than Denver (132:116).

Both the Blazers and the Lakers, like Dallas, finished the season with a nearly 42:30 record, but the team from the City of Angels had a lower record against each other than the teams from Oregon and Texas.

Therefore, the defending champion will have to play in the play-in tournament. His first rival is Golden State, and the winner of that match will take the 7th position in the West and play with Phoenix in the quarterfinals of the conference.

"We will not go into the match thinking it will be easy. I'm sure we have a tough match ahead of us, even though we've convincingly won the previous two matches," said Lakers wing center Anthony Davis.

NBA Playoffs
photo: Graphic News

Whoever loses to the two teams from California will have a new chance to take the 8th place and secure at least four duels with Utah, because they will play the winner of the showdown between the teams that were ninth and tenth in the Western standings - Memphis and San Antonio.

In the East, three teams were in the game for 8th place, and therefore for two chances to reach the playoffs - Washington, Indiana and Charlotte, who entered the last round with the same score (33:38).

The Wizards defeated the "Hornets" in a direct duel (115:110), thanks to a great performance in the last quarter, which they won 36:20.

Because of this, Washington will have the first chance to win the playoffs on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, three hours after midnight, when visiting Boston, while two and a half hours earlier, Indiana and Charlotte will fight to stay in the game.

A day later, the Western Conference play-off games are played.

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