Lakers vs. Blazers Preview and Game Thread: Last game of the regular season

The Lakers’ regular season wraps up on the road against the lottery-bound Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

The Lakers’ regular season will conclude in Portland where they will take on the Blazers.

Since the purple and gold have clinched the third seed in the Western Conference, this game is effectively meaningless. The same goes for the Blazers, who are bound for the NBA Draft lottery.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers

When: 12:30 PDT, Apr 13

Where: Moda Center

Watch: Spectrum SportsNet

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It’s been a while since I’ve written this and I’m happy to once again say that the Lakers have clinched a playoff spot without having to go through the play-in tournament for the first time since 2020. They will also have homecourt advantage thanks to them claiming the third seed after Friday night’s win against the Rockets.

Now, with the record of 50-31, head coach JJ Redick and the Lakers deserve much praise for putting themselves in this position. They were serious about wanting to avoid the play-in tournament all season and they did it. And because of that, they will enjoy the fruits of their labor and have at least seven days off before the playoffs officially commence.

I’m already predicting that the team will have more than a week of rest because it’s hard to see Redick playing his key players in Sunday’s match versus the Blazers. The Lakers, frankly, don’t have anything to compete for in this one unless they want to make their record look prettier with 51 wins instead of 50.

So do the Blazers, who are currently 35-45 and need to lose if they want to improve their chances of getting a high pick in this year’s draft. They’re already in the process of doing just that as in their game against the Warriors, the main guys such as Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons all didn’t suit up.

It would be surprising if these aforementioned names suddenly decide to play against the Lakers. But assuming they don’t, then it’ll actually be fun to see the Blazers’ young guys like Jabari Walker and Toumani Camara go up against a Dalton Knecht- and Bronny James Jr.-led team.

It’ll also be nice to see the Lakers still go hard and win this one no matter who is suiting up which will probably be Jordan Goodwin, Trey Jemison III, Shake Milton, Alex Len among others.

Moreover, this will most likely be the last relaxing game for a while, so enjoy it while it lasts. No such thing exists in the playoffs so take this opportunity to just sit back and appreciate the Lakers’ hard work this regular season. It was a joy to follow and one that hopefully concludes with a victory.

Let’s see if that’s exactly what happens against the Blazers on Sunday.

Notes and Updates

• Perhaps the more important game the Lakers should look out for on Sunday is the one between their Pacific Division foes, the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers. Both teams are currently fifth and sixth in the Western Conference standings, respectively. The winner of this match will determine who plays the purple and gold in the first round of the playoffs.
• For the Lakers injury report, basically everyone is listed as out. Luka Dončić (left quad soreness), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle effusion), Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy), LeBron James (left groin strain), Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery recovery) and Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) will all sit. Jaxson Hayes (right hand contusion), Jarred Vanderbilt (left foot injury management) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) are all listed as questionable. Jordan Goodwin (right plantar fasciitis) is probable.
• As for the Blazers, Deandre Ayton (left calf strain), Jerami Grant (right knee inflammation), Scoot Henderson (concussion protocol), Bryce McGowens (right rib fracture), Anfernee Simons (right forearm contusion), Robert Williams III (left knee injury management) are all out. Shaedon Sharpe (right knee soreness) is questionable and Deni Avdija (right thumb sprain) is doubtful).
• We will be live on Playback for this game, so be sure to join us!

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.