Despite suffering a loss to the Rockets that ended their two-game winning streak, the Lakers have received some good news amidst the chaos of the Western Conference. On a day without any games, the Lakers have been gifted with two pieces of good fortune. First, the Mavericks lost 104-119 to the Grizzlies, and the Clippers lost 106-108 to the Timberwolves. Prior to these games, the Lakers, Clippers, and Mavericks had identical records. However, after both the Clippers and Mavericks suffered defeats, the Lakers now lead by half a game and are ranked fifth in the West. This means that if the Lakers can win their next game, they will be able to secure the fifth spot in the West for a short period, and may even be able to climb to fourth.
In their next game, the fourth-seeded Nuggets will face the Celtics, while the Lakers will take on the Mavericks. If the Nuggets lose and the Lakers win, the Lakers will overtake the Nuggets and become the fourth seed in the West. For the Nuggets, facing the second-ranked Celtics in the East is not an easy task, and they are more likely to lose. However, for the Lakers, despite the fact that the Mavericks were last season's Western Conference champions, they are currently plagued by injuries, giving the Lakers a better chance of victory.
The Mavericks have indeed been quite unlucky recently. Luka Doncic suffered a calf strain earlier and has yet to return. According to the latest news, Kyrie Irving is expected to miss at least one to two weeks due to a herniated disc in his back. Without the "East European" duo, the Mavericks' combat effectiveness has already been significantly reduced. To make matters worse, in today's game against the Grizzlies, their key interior player, Gafford, had to withdraw due to an ankle sprain. After the game, head coach Kidd stated that he believes Gafford may be out for some time.
This means that in their next game, the Lakers will face a Mavericks team without Irving, Doncic, or Gafford, and one that is playing on consecutive nights. While no one wants to see players get injured, and we feel sympathy for the Mavericks' situation, it must be acknowledged that this current scenario is beneficial to the Lakers and gives them a greater opportunity to secure a valuable victory. Of course, the Mavericks, who have suffered five consecutive losses, may still explode with energy to end their losing streak and pull off an upset against the Lakers, so the Lakers cannot afford to be careless.
Additionally, there is another piece of good news for the Lakers. According to NBA reporters, the Lakers have recently contacted the Bulls to inquire about Vucevic's situation. The reporter said, "The Lakers are actively reaching out, trying to find an upgrade target for the center position, which also includes Robert Williams and Jonas Valanciunas. After trading for Finney-Smith, the Lakers are preparing for their next move."
Perhaps the success of the trade for Smith has boosted the confidence of the Lakers' management, believing that this team has a chance to compete for the championship through further strengthening. After all, the Lakers are already fifth in the West. It may also be because of the loss to the Rockets that made the Lakers realize they must provide LeBron and Brow with an excellent interior player who can hold their position and grab rebounds to eliminate the team's weaknesses. It can be said that the Lakers are now afraid of tall and fierce interior teams, and Anthony Davis also wants a tough interior partner. Trading for a center is imperative.
The good news is that since they only gave up a second-round pick in the trade with the Nets, the Lakers now have at least two first-round picks available. Since they only need to strengthen one position in the interior, their bargaining chips have become richer and their choices have increased. Besides Robert Williams, Vucevic, and Big Valan, the Lakers could even offer two first-round picks to the Jazz for Kessler, the interior beast who just scored 10 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in a game against the Magic. He is absolutely the Lakers' dream interior helper. If the Lakers really get Kessler, as long as they stay healthy, they really have a chance to compete for the championship.
