The NBA playoff standings are starting to look better for the Los Angeles Lakers. With four-straight wins and the Lakers playing really good basketball, the team has moved up in the Western Conference standings. Over the past week of games, the Lakers have been able to beat the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, and Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 17, the Lakers have an interesting game against the Orlando Magic.

Is Tyson Chandler this much of a catalyst? It certainly seems like the addition of Chandler has provided a much-needed spark for the Lakers.

He has been good on defense, especially good on the glass, and he is a big body that can clog up the lane for opponents. These are all things that could help the Lakers for the rest of the regular season. Then, it's just a matter of stringing together good games during the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

Current NBA playoff standings for L.A. Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers now hold the No. 7 slot in the Western Conference. At 8-6, the team is half a game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans (8-7) and Sacramento Kings (8-7). The great news is that the Lakers are only one game back from the Memphis Grizzlies (9-5), L.A. Clippers (9-5), and Oklahoma City Thunder (9-5). This shows how easy it could be for the Lakers to leap from the No.

7 slot up to the No. 4 spot in just a few days.

Brackets for 2019 NBA Playoffs

While it is still very early in the 2018-19 NBA season, it is never to early to look at the potential postseason matchups. If the 2019 NBA Playoffs were to begin this weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers would play the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

Denver would have homecourt advantage with a 10-5 record, but it certainly looks like a good battle, on paper. The Nuggets are 10-5 on the season and also playing some inspired basketball in the West.

L.A. Lakers rumors

There are a number of L.A. Lakers rumors floating around about efforts to improve the team. One of those rumors was potentially signing Carmelo Anthony, who is now a free agent after getting released by the Houston Rockets.

Anthony is friends with LeBron James and might be able to provide the Lakers more depth off the bench. A healthy Carmelo Anthony might be a great weapon down the stretch as well.

The success of the Lakers, is in no small part, directly linked to LeBron James. Though he noted that he almost cracked, due to the Lakers' struggles to open the season, he is still playing on all cylinders. If James can keep playing at this level, he might even get mentioned in the MVP conversation again. In the short-term, the latest NBA playoff standings have to please fans of the Los Angeles Lakers, as this team appears to be heading straight for the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
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