Lakers Six Games Over .500 For First Time In Nearly Three Years

In Los Angeles, it’s reason to celebrate. After all, it’s not often that the Lakers are six games over .500 in the recent LeBron James–Anthony Davis era.

But now, the Lakers are 36-30 following Sunday’s road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. That makes the Lakers six games over .500 for the first time since May 2021, as relayed by Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Davis was amazing in this particular game, recording 27 points and a whopping 25 rebounds, to go with seven steals and three blocks. Yes, seven steals.

Granted, the Lakers are still in the ninth spot in the Western Conference with 16 games to go. That means they are again looking at the play-in tournament. 

Or maybe not.

They are just one game back of the eighth seed, 1.5 games back of the seventh seed, two games back of the sixth and just four of the fifth.

Is it likely they finish fifth? Not really. But sixth may be doable. Seventh undoubtedly is, which would make a play-in game that much more favorable.

“If we play the basketball that we know we can play, I think if you ask anybody coming in here, it’s not easy… If you ask anyone in our locker room, we’re super confident in what we have,” guard Austin Reaves told reporters.

The Lakers? Playing their best when it means the most? It’s undoubtedly starting to look that way.

So hey, hold off on all those criticisms of coach Darvin Ham or those thoughts that James may be reaching the end. The Lakers, it seems, may just be getting started.