It may have taken an unexpected all-time great performance from Austin Reaves, but the Lakers managed to successfully escape and win a crucial one against the Orlando Magic last Sunday. It wasn’t all that pretty, but as the sentiment has been for the past three weeks, the purple and gold will take any game we can get at this point. Because right now, it’s looking like the Lakers’ play-in faith will likely be determined until the last few games of the season.
The Lakers have exactly 10 games left on their schedule, and because of two avoidable losses to the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks last week, they’re currently not even in the play-in picture in the wild Western Conference standings.