What will the end of the season be like for the Lakers’ opponents in the fight for the Playoffs?

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Los Angeles Lakers fans had a weekend like they hadn’t seen in a long time. Between Friday and Sunday, the team coached by Darvin Ham gave two beautiful displays of strength and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves. In the victory over the Bucks, LeBron James was absent, and D’Angelo Russell took the lead: 44 points, nine assists and the decisive shot with less than six seconds to go.

There are still 16 games left for the Los Angeles team, which according to projections has the 10th most complicated schedule until the end of the competition, the 17th in the NBA. The calculation is made based on the percentage of success of the opponents that each one will face in April.

With 36 wins and 30 losses, the Lakers are currently in ninth place. Still, the dream of achieving direct qualification to the Playoffs remains alive, as the distance to the sixth-placed Phoenix Suns is just two games. But what do the numbers of the teams involved in this dispute show us, anyway?

How are the Lakers’ opponents?

The fight for sixth place currently revolves around six teams. From 10th to sixth place, they are the Golden State Warriors (33-30), Los Angeles Lakers (36-30), Dallas Mavericks (36-28), Sacramento Kings (36-27) and Phoenix Suns (37-27). The numbers in parentheses indicate victories and defeats, respectively.

The first good news for Angel fans is the recent look back at the competitors. In the last 20 games, only the Warriors have won more times than the Los Angeles Lakers, 14 to 13 for the group of Stephen Curry and company. Of those ahead, the closest were the Mavericks, with 12 wins, while the Kings and Suns won 11 and lost nine.

Another scenario that indicates a good final stretch for LA is on the calendar. While LeBron James and Anthony Davis will only be 17th in terms of difficulty, the Suns are expected to have the most difficult journey among all 30 franchises in the league. The remaining opponents of the squad coached by Frank Vogel have an average success rate of 57%.

Those who should also have a lot of work to do are the Kings, coincidentally the last team to defeat the Lakers and also the next opponent, on Wednesday, in Sacramento. The Tankathon website rates them as having the fifth hardest streak in the remaining 19 rounds.

In this sense, the biggest concern seems to be the Dallas Mavericks, who are one position ahead and have a more favorable projection, with 21st place in the rankings, one of the 10 easiest in the NBA. Plus, Luka Doncic is unstoppable, with six consecutive triple-doubles of 30 or more points.

Check out the overview of the dispute for the Playoffs:

9º Los Angeles Lakers (36-30)

Remaining games: 16 (17th hardest)

More difficult: Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings

More easy: Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies (duas vezes), Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks

Taking advantage of opponents: 49.5%

6º Phoenix Suns (37-27)

Remaining games: 18 (1st most difficult)

More difficult: Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves (twice), Los Angeles Clippers (twice), Milwaukee Bucks

Easy opponents: San Antonio Spurs (twice), Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks

Taking advantage of opponents: 56.9º

7º Sacramento Kings (36-27)

Remaining games: 19 (7th hardest)

More difficult: Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns

More easy: Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz

Taking advantage of opponents: 52.2%

8º Dallas Mavericks (36-28)

Remaining games: 18 (21st hardest)

More difficult: Oklahoma City Thunder (twice), Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings (twice), Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors (three times

More easy: Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz (twice), Houston Rockets (twice), Atlanta Hawks

Taking advantage of opponents: 48.3%

10º Golden State Warriors (33-30)

Remaining games: 19 (23rd hardest)

Mmore difficult: Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors (três vezes)

More easy: San Antonio Spurs (duas vezes), Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz (duas vezes), Houston Rockets

Taking advantage of opponents: 47.2%