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With tiebreakers lost, Lakers are unlikely to earn playoff spot

Lakers center Pau Gasol shoots over Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki.
(Larry W. Smith / EPA)
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Just one game past the halfway mark of the 2013-14 NBA season, the Lakers have scant chance of making the playoffs.

With their Monday night loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers (16-26) are eight games behind the eighth-place Phoenix Suns (23-17) and 8 1/2 games behind the seventh-place Dallas Mavericks (25-18).

The Suns and Mavericks have already won their season series against the Lakers.

It’s not enough for the Lakers to just catch Phoenix or Dallas in the standings -- they’ll need to finish at least one game ahead.

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The Lakers play the Suns again on March 30, but Phoenix has already swept their first three meetings.

On April 4, the Lakers will meet the Mavericks for a third and final time. Dallas defeated the Lakers on Nov. 5 and Jan. 7.

Injuries have derailed what was a promising start to the season. Kobe Bryant (knee) isn’t expected back until February, way too late to make a difference.

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With the ninth-worst record in the league, the Lakers do have a chance at a solid 2014 draft pick.

The players won’t play to lose but a higher pick is better for the team in the long term.

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Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

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