After a touch-and-go regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers finally staked a claim to the seventh seed in the Western Conference, not only clinching a playoff berth, but also avoiding a first round matchup with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Surprising fans and critics alike with their better-than-expected regular-season finish, the Lakers must now build off that momentum if they hope to advance.
Hopeful fans were devastated when Kobe Bryant—not only the Lakers’ top scorer, but also one of the NBA’s most consistent and successful players of all time—went down with a ruptured Achilles' tendon on April 12. With point guard Steve Nash joining Kobe on the injured list, the team now must head into the postseason without two of the most integral players on the Lakers roster.
The duo of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol stand as giants on the court, literally and figuratively. Howard still leads the league in rebounds, and Gasol has been consistently improving this season, logging two triple-doubles in just the last three games. Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks also stepped up in the final game that clinched the seventh seed, with Blake scoring 24 points and Meeks scoring a last-minute dunk to extend the Lakers lead over the Rockets.
The Lakers will head to San Antonio on April 21, hoping to oust the Spurs for a chance to advance to round two. Stand with the purple and gold as they battle for the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the Staples Center with Lakers playoff tickets from Vivid Seats.
