NBA: Biggest winners of resuming season and revamped playoff format

2. Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2019-20 campaign having missed the playoffs in each of the previous six seasons. Needless to say, this was considered unacceptable for a franchise that has 16 championship banners hanging in the rafters.

To bolster the team’s chances of competing for a title this season, they traded for Anthony Davis, along with adding some perimeter shooting and defense as well. To say that the moves have paid huge dividends thus far would be a gross understatement.

Sitting at 49-14, the Lakers have the second-best record in the NBA and the top record in the Western Conference by a 5.5 game margin. While their offense isn’t as potent as the Bucks, they are currently the seventh-highest scoring team in the association at 114.7 points per contest. The Lakers also have the fourth-best offensive rating as well.

The Lakers are also getting the job done at the defensive end of the court as well. They are third in points allowed, giving up 106.9 points per outing and they have the third-best defensive rating in the league, yielding 105.6 points per 100 possessions.

Not only that, but their road record (26-6) is better than their home record (23-8) and they had won four of their last five games before the season came to a halt. With LeBron James still playing at an elite level at 35 years of age and Anthony Davis anchoring the defense, the Lakers have been transformed into a legitimate title contender.

Although home-court advantage won’t be a factor without any fans in attendance, you can bet that James and Davis want to bring a championship back to Tinseltown. This especially holds true considering Davis’ long-term future with the team is uncertain at this point.