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As the Western Conference playoff race nears its end, it’s once again going to come down to the wire.
With just seven games remaining, the Lakers can finish as high as the No. 3 seed or as low as sixth. The good news is the Lakers have their destiny in their own hands as they currently
sit in the three spot and have the tiebreakers over the opponents they’re competing with for a playoff spot.
While their seeding and whether they will have homecourt or not are unknown, the teams they could face are known. LA will play either Denver, Minnesota, or Houston in the postseason.
For our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we ask which team you would most like them to play in the first round of the playoffs between the Wolves, Rockets and Nuggets.
The Lakers have beaten this trio in head-to-head matchups, so a case can be made for each being a desired opponent. The team with the current worst record among the three is Houston.
The Rockets haven’t been able to dominate this year, even with the acquisitions of Kevin Durant. The Lakers recently beat the Rockets in back-to-back games in Houston, making a matchup against them in the postseason an enticing proposition.
Last season, the Wolves eliminated the Lakers in five games in the opening round. But this year, LA controlled all three contests against Minnesota and swept the season series.
Sure, they still have Anthony Edwards and a defensive titan in Rudy Gobert, but this iteration of the Lakers has proven they can handle them. Perhaps facing them in the playoffs again can make advancing to the second round by beating them that much sweeter.
And last but certainly not least is the Nuggets. The Lakers won the season series 2-1, but all the games were close. In fact, Denver is the only team to have pushed Los Angeles into overtime this year.
The Lakers came out on top, but it certainly looked like things could have easily gone a different way.
Similar to Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić is also an MVP candidate, and with a player that good on a team that’s beaten the Lakers a couple of times in the playoffs during this decade, maybe that’s not the first opponent you want to have as one begins a playoff run.
But what do you think? Who do you want the Lakers to face in the playoffs? Share your opinion by voting and letting us know down below!
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
