Preview of play-in KO game

The NBA regular season is winding down and the race for playoff seedings is intensifying.  Before the playoffs begin on April 20, the play-in tournament will kick off to get the post-season ball rolling. The regular season ends on April 14 with the top six finishers in the East and West advancing to the playoffs outright. Teams that are ranked seventh, eighth and ninth and 10th will battle for the last two playoff slots in each conference via the play-in tournament.

In the play-in, homecourt advantage will be with the higher placed team, meaning seven over eight and nine over 10. The winner of seven against eight will clinch the seventh playoff slot in each conference. The winner of nine against 10 will face the loser of seven against eight for the eighth playoff ticket. The loser of nine against 10 is struck out of contention.

Two West teams with a rich championship history are likely to figure in a KO match. If the regular season were to end today, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors will tangle in a battle between nine and 10. At the moment, the Lakers are ninth at 45-34 and the Warriors, 10th at 43-35. LA has three games left against Golden State, Memphis and New Orleans while the Warriors will still play the Lakers, Portland, New Orleans and Utah. This morning (Manila time), the Lakers will host the Warriors in a critical duel. LA has a chance to vault up to No. 6 and avoid a play-in situation. The Lakers are just 1.5 games behind No. 6 Phoenix. The Suns’ record is 46-32 and they meet the LA Clippers twice, Sacramento and Minnesota to complete their schedule. New Orleans is seventh at 46-32 and Sacramento, eighth at 45-33. A win here and a loss there could settle where a team ends up. The Kings will still play Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Phoenix and Portland while the Pelicans’ remaining schedule lists Portland, Sacramento, Golden State and the Lakers.

Golden State has won seven of its last eight and is coming off a 118-110 win over Utah despite playing without Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins. In their last seven wins, the Warriors held opponents to an average of 102.1 points, a major improvement from their defensive norm of 115.4 this season. The Lakers are fresh from a 127-117 loss to Minnesota but they’ve won nine of their last 11. LeBron James sat out the last contest due to flu-like symptoms and Anthony Davis played only in the first quarter before leaving with soreness in the left eye after taking a forearm on his face.

Golden State has beaten the Lakers twice in three meetings so far this season with LA’s only win, a double OT squeaker by a point. The Warriors could still move up to No. 9 and steal home court advantage if they clash with the Lakers in the play-in. So a win over LA today is almost a must. If the Lakers hope to inch up to No. 6, beating the Warriors would be a boost. The problem is James and Davis are questionable for the game while Curry is sure to come back after resting the previous contest.