Lakers rolling, but any first-round matchup won’t be easy

The Lakers have found something.

Seven straight wins. Ten of their last 11, and not against lightweights. This has come against playoff-level competition, the kind you’ll see again in a few weeks, writes Michael Duarte of the California Post.

Still, March isn’t May. The Lakers are sitting third in the West, but only a couple games separate them from the middle of the pack. The first round could bring Minnesota, Denver or Houston. All different. All complicated.

If there’s a preference, it might be Minnesota. Yes, that Minnesota.

The team that pushed the Lakers around last postseason. Bigger. Stronger. More physical. That series exposed everything.

But this version of the Lakers is different.

Deandre Ayton gives them a real presence inside. Not dominant, but enough to make Rudy Gobert work. That matters over a series. Marcus Smart adds another layer defensively, someone who can bother Anthony Edwards and at least make things uncomfortable.

The Lakers also handled Minnesota during the regular season. That’s not everything, but it’s something.

Denver is another story. Nikola Jokic still controls everything. Even when the Lakers win, it feels like they’re surviving. That’s not ideal in a seven-game series.

Houston might be the wild card. Kevin Durant, talented roster, but also unpredictable. That can swing both ways. The Lakers have the edge in experience, but chaos has a way of showing up in those matchups.

So yes, the Lakers are rolling. But what comes next will be about matchups, adjustments and execution.

The streak won’t matter then.