The Los Angeles Lakers defied expectations during the 2024-2025 regular season, achieving a level of success that even their most devoted fans might not have foreseen. They finished with a 50-32 record and secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, marking their best regular-season performance since their NBA championship victory in the bubble in 2020. This resurgence was largely fueled by a transformative mid-season trade that reshaped the franchise’s trajectory.
In a blockbuster move, they traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, a generational talent at 26 years old. Following this early February deal, the Lakers went 22-12, including a strong 6-3 finish, which allowed them to clinch the No. 3 seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament for the first time since 2020.
This strong finish has set up a Round 1 matchup against the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves, a team they split the season series with. Notably, Los Angeles won the most recent encounter between the two teams, a 111-102 victory in which Doncic played a key role.
Sporting News NBA analyst Stephen Noh projects the Lakers to advance past the Timberwolves in the first round, a sentiment echoed by FanDuel, which has placed Los Angeles as -196 odds favorites to win the series. Noh further predicts that the Lakers will then defeat the Golden State Warriors in Round 2, renewing the storied playoff rivalry between LeBron James and Steph Curry.
Los Angeles Lakers Predicted To Make Western Conference Finals Against Defensive Juggernaut
However, Noh anticipates a challenging Western Conference Finals matchup for the Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He suggests that the Thunder’s roster is uniquely positioned to compete with LeBron and Luka, featuring players like Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, and Lu Dort. According to Noh, the Thunder’s defense this year has reached a level comparable to the “Bill Russell Celtics,” giving them a potential advantage in a series.
Noh elaborates on this potential matchup: “The Lakers certainly have the experience advantage in this matchup. That’s about all that they have to lean on, though… Oklahoma City has the best defense that we’ve seen since the Bill Russell Celtics. The Lakers have certainly improved on that end of the floor, but this series against a drive-heavy team is where cracks in their defense could start to show. Los Angeles’s big three don’t have the foot speed to stay in front of those speedy guards, and their lack of playable interior size outside of Jaxson Hayes could finally catch up to them here.”
For those attuned to the history of the Lakers, evoking Bill Russell’s name will start a cold sweat. Russell’s Boston Celtics defeated Laker teams eight times in the NBA Finals between 1959 and 1969
This potential Western Conference Finals appearance would mark LeBron James’ third in seven seasons with the Lakers and his 13th Conference Finals appearance overall. For OKC, it would represent the deepest playoff run of their emerging era, following their second-round exit to the eventual Western Conference champion Mavericks the previous year.
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Oklahoma City won two of three games against LA this season, though the teams split a recent back-to-back set. Los Angeles secured a 27-point victory on April 6, while the Thunder responded with a 16-point win two days later.
The Thunder are set to begin their playoff preparations on Friday, after their first-round opponent is determined from the Play-In Tournament involving the Warriors, Grizzlies, Kings, and Mavericks. Their series is scheduled to commence on Sunday, April 20.
Meanwhile, they can now focus their attention on the Timberwolves, who will face them in Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday at 8:30 PM E.T., with the game broadcast on ABC.