As the season winds down the Lakers will encounter one of their toughest weeks of the year. In a stretch of just four days, they will face the teams from each of the last three NBA Finals — Golden State and Cleveland.
However, the remainder of the schedule is manageable enough for a potential hot streak if the Lakers are still in playoff contention.
More than half of March’s opponents are teams that did not make last year’s postseason. Plus, the purple and gold will only have to deal with one back-to-back all month long.
March
Games: 15
Home: 7
Away: 8
Playoff Opponents: 7
National TV Games: 5
Back-to-Backs: 1
Home Opponents: Portland, Orlando, Cleveland, Denver, Miami, Dallas, Milwaukee
Road Destinations: Miami, San Antonio, Denver, Golden State, Indiana, New Orleans, Memphis, Detroit
Key Matchups
March 11 vs. Cleveland (6 p.m. PT; Spectrum SportsNet, Spectrum Deportes and ESPN)
LeBron James and the Eastern Conference-champion Cavaliers make their lone appearance on the Lakers’ home floor in front of a nationally televised audience.
March 14 at Golden State (7:30 p.m.; Spectrum SportsNet, Spectrum Deportes and ESPN)
The Lakers will travel up north for their fourth and final matchup against the defending champions. An added wrinkle to this year’s series will be the presence of former Laker Nick Young, who will be suiting up for the Warriors this time around.
March 26 at Detroit (4 p.m. PT; Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will return to Detroit after spending his first five years in the NBA as a Piston. However, it will be in unfamiliar territory for KCP, as this game will be held at Little Caesars Arena — the league’s newest venue.