With the Western Conference playoff picture so murky, neither the Los Angeles Lakers nor the Utah Jazz will enjoy an easy ride as they try to snare the final playoff spot.
If the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets Wednesday, they finish seventh in the Western Conference. Lose and there’s a chance their season’s over.
The Lakers are currently tucked into the eighth spot in the standings, a game behind Houston and one ahead of the Jazz.
Programming note: Watch the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets square off on Wednesday night on Sportsnet One (10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT) in a game with major playoff implications.
A couple of hours before the Lakers-Rockets game, Utah will tip off their must-win matchup with the Grizzlies in Memphis. If the Jazz lose, the Lakers will be in the playoffs but if Utah wins and the Lakers lose, the Jazz make the cut. Both teams would finish tied, but Utah holds the tiebreaker just as the Lakers hold the tiebreaker over the Rockets.
The Lakers’ task will not be made any easier by the absence of star guards Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
While Bryant is out for the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles Friday, Nash has been listed as day-to-day by the club. He had an MRI performed on his hamstring Tuesday and the club is hopeful he will return if they make the playoffs.
The absence of the veteran guards didn’t stop L.A. from beating San Antonio 91-86 on Monday.
Lakers centre Dwight Howard had a big game against the Spurs (26 points, 17 rebounds) and will look to repeat that performance against an undersized Rockets front line. Houston’s only real true big man is Omer Asik and he will be tasked with trying to stop Howard and Pau Gasol from controlling the boards.
For their part, the Rockets still have a chance to earn the sixth seed in the Western Conference if they were to win and Golden State were to lose, allowing Houston to avoid a first-round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.
The Grizzlies also have something to play for as a win, coupled with a loss by the Los Angeles Clippers, would give Memphis home-court advantage in their first-round playoff series.
