EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Lakers are in a rut.

The team's chances to avoid the dreaded play-in tournament are evaporating with every loss.

Only the top six Western Conference teams are protected from the tournament — a fascinating addition to the NBA postseason for many fans but an absolute nuisance to a seventh-place team.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they are currently seventh in the West, trailing fifth-place Dallas by two games and sixth-place Portland by 1.5 games.

The Lakers have only five games left in their regular season, including Sunday against Phoenix. They'll almost surely finish seventh, barring a surprising turn of events over the next week. What to do now?

Get healthy. Perhaps rest some of the team's main players soon. And don't go 0-2 in the play-in tournament.

First, the basics: What is the play-in tournament?

The seventh-place team in the West plays the eighth-place team in a one-game battle. The winner officially becomes the seventh seed in the West.

All hope isn't lost for the loser. They could still earn the West's eighth and final seed by beating the winner of a game between the ninth- and 10th-place teams. But if they lose that game — and finish 0-2 in the tournament — they don't make the playoffs.

This would be a big let-down for the Lakers. It won't happen for a variety of reasons:

1) Anthony Davis looked a lot like his former self Friday in a loss to Portland.

Davis scored 36 points, took 12 rebounds and handed out five assists. He wasn't the reason the Lakers lost.

If it took Davis two full weeks to play like an All-Star after returning from a two-month injury absence, then so be it. He's back.

2) LeBron James will presumably return by the time the play-in tournament rolls around.

The league hasn't announced exactly when the games will take place, but they'll start either May 18 or 19 for the Lakers.

James sat out six weeks because of a severely sprained ankle, returned last week for two games, then exited again after aggravating the injury. He won't come back until it's time — but that time will be the play-in tournament, at the latest.

The guess here is that James will play a game or two in the regular season before the postseason begins.

3) Like James, Dennis Schröder will likely be back in time for the play-in tournament.

Schröder has already missed four games because of COVID-19 safety and health protocols. He'll have to sit out three more games before possibly being eligible to return.

If he's healthy, Schröder could play the Lakers' last two regular-season games, giving him a short runway to get up to speed before the play-in tournament.

4) The Lakers are the defending champions.

It's extremely difficult to envision them losing both tournament games and failing to make the playoffs.

LA would likely face Golden State in the first game of the tournament, which wouldn't be easy. The Warriors have Stephen Curry, who drilled 11 three-pointers Saturday against Oklahoma City. A little secret about Golden State, however, is there isn't much scoring punch beyond Curry. So the Lakers would be comfortably favored to beat Golden State.

Even if the Lakers somehow lost, they'd be even more heavily favored to beat the ninth- and 10th-place game-winner. Their opponent would be, at this point, Memphis or San Antonio. It would be stunning if the Lakers lost to either of them.

Back to reality: The Lakers haven't looked great lately. They've gradually dropped from second place in the West in mid-February to their present-day spot.

The play-in tournament isn't ideal. But it's not really a threat either. More than likely, LA would advance to face Phoenix or Utah in the first round of the playoffs.