With LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers clinching a spot in the NBA playoffs, the 2022/23 season marks the first time all four California franchises will compete for the championship.
After their horrible 2-10 start to the campaign, the 43-39 Lakers secured a 108-102 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Play-In to snatch the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The dramatic win over Minnesota was almost microcosm of the Lakers’ season, with the team coming from behind to eventually scrape over the line in overtime.
The win means the Lakers are into the Play-Offs for the first time since 2021 as they chase a record 18th NBA championship - and first since James and Anthony Davis spearheaded their title push in 2020 down in Orlando. Los Angeles will face the Memphis Grizzlies, the second seed in the West, in what is set to be an exciting first round play-off series.
