Lakers aim to end season with win vs. Warriors (Apr 12, 2017)
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers will attempt to head into a nerve-racking offseason with a six-game winning streak Wednesday night when they wrap up their 2016-17 campaign on the road against the Golden State Warriors.
With more to gain by losing than winning this month, the Lakers (26-55) have beaten Memphis, San Antonio, Sacramento, Minnesota and New Orleans in succession to assure they will finish with the NBA’s third-worst record.
The latter is significant in that the Lakers will lose their first-round draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers should it land outside the top three.
The Lakers will head to the NBA draft lottery on May 16 with a 53.1 percent chance of falling to fourth or below.
“Obviously, it’s a unique situation, but our players’ jobs are to go out there and win,” Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters during the winning streak. “At the end of the day, it’s a lottery anyway, so we’re gonna need some luck from the basketball gods.”
No such luck was required Tuesday night, when the Lakers ran their streak to five games. Veteran Metta World Peace, himself a first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1999, contributed a season-best 18…
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