The 1987âÂÂ88 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 42nd season for the Los Angeles Lakers as a franchise, their 40th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 28th season in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers entered the regular season as the defending NBA champion, having defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the 1987 NBA Finals; following their championship win, Lakers head coach Pat Riley promised the team would repeat as champions.
The Lakers got off to a fast start by winning their first eight games of the regular season, then later on posting a 15-game winning streak between December and January, and holding a 35âÂÂ8 record at the All-Star break. The Lakers then posted a 10-game winning streak in February, and won the Pacific Division title with a league-best 62âÂÂ20 record, which earned them the first seed in the Western Conference.
Byron Scott led the Lakers in scoring averaging 21.7 points, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while James Worthy averaged 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, and Magic Johnson provided the team with 19.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 11.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team. In addition, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar contributed 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, while A.C. Green provided with 11.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Mychal Thompson averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while defensive guard Michael Cooper contributed 8.7 points and 4.7 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, Wes Matthews provided with 5.7 points and 2.7 assists per game, and Kurt Rambis averaged 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, Johnson, Worthy and Abdul-Jabbar were all selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, while Riley was selected to coach the Western Conference. Johnson scored 17 points along with 19 assists and 2 steals, despite the Western Conference losing to the Eastern Conference, 138âÂÂ133. Meanwhile, Scott participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the second consecutive year. Johnson also finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics; Scott finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Cooper finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Riley finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting, behind Doug Moe of the Denver Nuggets.
In the Western Conference First Round of the 1988 NBA playoffs, and before the Lakers could make good on Riley's guarantee, the team faced off against the 8thâÂÂseeded San Antonio Spurs, a team that featured All-Star guard Alvin Robertson, second-year star Walter Berry, and Frank Brickowski. The Lakers won the first two games over the Spurs at home at the Great Western Forum, before winning Game 3 on the road, 109âÂÂ107 at the HemisFair Arena to win the series in a three-game sweep.
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the Lakers faced off against the 5thâÂÂseeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, sixth man Thurl Bailey, and John Stockton. The Lakers won Game 1 over the Jazz at the Great Western Forum, 110âÂÂ91, but then lost the next two games, which included a Game 3 road loss to the Jazz at the Salt Palace, 96âÂÂ89 as the Jazz took a 2âÂÂ1 series lead. The Lakers managed to win the next two games before losing Game 6 to the Jazz at the Salt Palace, 108âÂÂ80. With the series tied at 3âÂÂ3, the Lakers won Game 7 over the Jazz at the Great Western Forum, 109âÂÂ98 to win in a hard-fought seven-game series.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers then faced off against the 3rdâÂÂseeded Dallas Mavericks, a team that featured the quartet of All-Star forward Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper and All-Star center James Donaldson. The Lakers won the first two games over the Mavericks at the Great Western Forum, and took a 2âÂÂ0 series lead. However, the team lost the next two games on the road, including a Game 4 loss to the Mavericks at the Reunion Arena, 118âÂÂ104. The Lakers won Game 5 at the Great Western Forum, 119âÂÂ102, but then lost Game 6 to the Mavericks at the Reunion Arena, 105âÂÂ103. With the series tied at 3âÂÂ3, the Lakers won Game 7 over the Mavericks at the Great Western Forum, 117âÂÂ102 to win in another hard-fought seven-game series, and advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.
In the 1988 NBA Finals, the Lakers faced off against the 2ndâÂÂseeded Detroit Pistons, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Isiah Thomas, Adrian Dantley and Joe Dumars. The Lakers lost Game 1 to the Pistons at home, 105âÂÂ93 at the Great Western Forum, but managed to win the next two games, which included a Game 3 win over the Pistons on the road, 99âÂÂ86 at the Pontiac Silverdome. However, the Lakers lost the next two games, including a Game 5 loss to the Pistons at the Pontiac Silverdome, 104âÂÂ94 as the Pistons took a 3âÂÂ2 series lead. The Lakers managed to win their next two home games at the Great Western Forum, winning Game 6 over the Pistons by a score of 103âÂÂ102, and then winning Game 7 by a score of 108âÂÂ105 to win in another hard-fought seven game series, winning their second consecutive NBA championship, and eleventh overall; Worthy, who had a triple-double of 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 7, was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. The Lakers also became the NBA's first repeat champions since the Boston Celtics did it in the 1968âÂÂ69 NBA season.
The Lakers finished third in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 708,477 at the Great Western Forum during the regular season. By the time the Lakers had finished their season, they had played an NBA record of 106 games, including another record of 24 playoff games, winning 77 and losing 29; the team went 62âÂÂ20 in the regular season and 15âÂÂ9 in the playoffs, en route to their sixth NBA championship in Los Angeles, and their 11th overall in franchise history. Following the season, Rambis signed as a free agent with the Charlotte Hornets expansion team.
HoopsHype would later rank this squad as the team with the 13th easiest route to the NBA Finals championship (in terms of team records of their opponents), primarily due to the record that the Spurs had this season. The 1988 NBA Finals was the last time the Showtime-era Lakers won an NBA championship; it was also the final time that the franchise won a championship at the Great Western Forum. The Lakers did not win another championship until 2000, when they were playing at the Staples Center (now known as the Crypto.com Arena).
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Seattle | W 113âÂÂ109 | Johnson (26) | Green (12) | Johnson (8) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 || November 8<br />7:30 pm PST || Houston | W 101âÂÂ92 | Johnson & Scott (23) | A.C. Green (18) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 2âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 || November 10<br />5:30 pm PST || @ San Antonio | W 133âÂÂ124 | A.C. Green (32) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (13) | HemisFair Arena<br />13,751 | 3âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 || November 12<br />7:30 pm PST || L.A. Clippers | W 111âÂÂ82 | James Worthy (20) | Abdul-Jabbar & M. Thompson (10) | Magic Johnson (11) | The Forum<br />15,569 | 4âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 || November 14<br />7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State | W 118âÂÂ110 | Byron Scott (27) | Mychal Thompson (9) | Magic Johnson (12) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena<br />15,025 | 5âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 || November 15<br />7:30 pm PST || San Antonio | W 147âÂÂ130 | Magic Johnson (25) | A.C. Green (13) | Johnson & Worthy (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 6âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Portland | W 142âÂÂ115 | Mychal ThompsonM Thompson (24) | Green,<br />Rambis (10) | Johnson (14) | The Forum<br />16,347 | 7âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 8 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Dallas | W 119âÂÂ116 | Scott (25) | Green (11) | Johnson (15) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 8âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 9 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Milwaukee | L 116âÂÂ124 (OT) | Johnson (26) | Green (11) | Johnson (11) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 8âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 10 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | @ Seattle | L 85âÂÂ103 | Johnson (23) | Green (10) | Johnson (6) | Seattle Center Coliseum<br />14,634 | 8âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 11 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Denver | W 127âÂÂ119 | Green (28) | Green (16) | Johnson (16) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 9âÂÂ2
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 12 || December 1<br />7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento | W 125âÂÂ120 (OT) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) | A.C. Green (15) | Magic Johnson (10) | ARCO Arena I<br />10,333 | 10âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 13 || December 2<br />7:30 pm PST || Portland | L 104âÂÂ117 | Michael Cooper (17) | A.C. Green (13) | Cooper & Johnson (9) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 10âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 14 | <br />5:00p.m. PST | @ Milwaukee | L 83âÂÂ85 | Johnson (22) | Johnson (10) | Johnson (12) | MECCA Arena<br />11,052 | 10âÂÂ4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 15 | <br />4:30p.m. PST | @ Cleveland | L 95âÂÂ97 | Abdul-Jabbar,<br />Johnson,<br />Scott (19) | Green,<br />Johnson (9) | Johnson (9) | Richfield Coliseum<br />20,015 | 10âÂÂ5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 16 || December 8<br />4:30 pm PST || @ New Jersey | W 98âÂÂ81 | Byron Scott (21) | Magic Johnson (13) | Magic Johnson (14) | Brendan Byrne Arena<br />18,008 | 11âÂÂ5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 17 | <br />4:30p.m. PST | @ Washington | L 112âÂÂ120 (OT) | Johnson (30) | Cooper (12) | Johnson (14) | Capital Centre<br />18,643 | 11âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 18 | <br />5:00p.m. PST | @ Boston | W 115âÂÂ114 | Abdul-Jabbar (23) | Abdul-Jabbar,<br />Johnson (8) | Johnson (17) | Boston Garden<br />14,890 | 12âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 19 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Cleveland | W 90âÂÂ89 | Worthy (20) | Green (11) | Johnson (8) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 13âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 20 || December 15<br />7:30 pm PST || Phoenix | W 122âÂÂ97 | Byron Scott (31) | A.C. Green (14) | Johnson & Scott (9) | The Forum<br />17,371 | 14âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 21 || December 17<br />7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State | L 113âÂÂ106 | Magic Johnson (31) | A.C. Green (12) | Magic Johnson (17) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena<br />15,025 | 15âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 22 || December 19<br />7:30 pm PST || @ L.A. Clippers | W 108âÂÂ97 | Magic Johnson (28) | A.C. Green (12) | Cooper & Johnson (7) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena<br />14,417 | 16âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 23 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Seattle | W 103âÂÂ94 | M. Thompson (22) | Green (9) | Johnson (12) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 17âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 24 || December 23<br />7:30 pm PST || Sacramento | W 117âÂÂ103 | Magic Johnson (26) | Green & M. Thompson (9) | Michael Cooper (9) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 18âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 25 | <br />1:00p.m. PST | @ Utah | W 117âÂÂ109 | Scott (26) | Abdul-Jabbar (9) | Johnson (14) | Salt Palace<br />12,212 | 19âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 || December 29<br />7:30 pm PST || Philadelphia | W 131âÂÂ115 | Byron Scott (37) | Kurt Rambis (10) | Magic Johnson (17) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 20âÂÂ6
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 27 || January 3<br />5:00 pm PST || @ Portland | W 98âÂÂ81 | Byron Scott (31) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (9) | Memorial Coliseum<br />12,666 | 21âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 28 || January 4<br />7:30 pm PST || San Antonio | W 133âÂÂ115 | James Worthy (23) | Magic Johnson (8) | Magic Johnson (13) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 22âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 29 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Dallas | W 103âÂÂ89 | Scott (28) | Green (9) | Johnson (15) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 23âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 30 | <br />5:00p.m. PST | @ Detroit | W 106âÂÂ104 | Scott (35) | Worthy (8) | Johnson (9) | Pontiac Silverdome<br />40,278 | 24âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 31 || January 9<br />4:30 pm PST || @ Indiana | W 101âÂÂ98 | Johnson & Worthy (21) | A.C. Green (12) | Magic Johnson (13) | Market Square Arena<br />16,912 | 25âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 32 || January 12<br />7:30 pm PST || Golden State | W 117âÂÂ113 | Byron Scott (30) | A.C. Green (11) | Magic Johnson (14) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 26âÂÂ6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 33 || January 13<br />7:30 pm PST || @ L.A. Clippers | L 109âÂÂ110 (OT) | Magic Johnson (27) | Magic Johnson (11) | Magic Johnson (13) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena<br />14,906 | 26âÂÂ7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 34 || January 16<br />6:30 pm PST || @ Phoenix | W 107âÂÂ96 | James Worthy (25) | A.C. Green (8) | Magic Johnson (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum<br />14,471 | 27âÂÂ7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 35 || January 18<br />2:00 pm PST || Houston | W 121âÂÂ110 | Magic Johnson (39) | A.C. Green (9) | Magic Johnson (17) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 28âÂÂ7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 36 | <br />6:30p.m. PST | @ Denver | L 113âÂÂ115 | Worthy (22) | Green,<br />Johnson (10) | Johnson (14) | McNichols Sports Arena<br />17,022 | 28âÂÂ8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 37 || January 22<br />7:30 pm PST || New York | W 113âÂÂ112 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) | A.C. Green (9) | Johnson & Scott (8) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 29âÂÂ8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 38 | <br />12:30p.m. PST | @ Seattle | W 116âÂÂ109 | Johnson (34) | Worthy (12) | Worthy (7) | Seattle Center Coliseum<br />14,739 | 30âÂÂ8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 39 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Utah | W 111âÂÂ100 | Johnson (22) | Worthy (10) | Johnson (11) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 31âÂÂ8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 40 || January 28<br />7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento | W 115âÂÂ94 | James Worthy (26) | A.C. Green (13) | Magic Johnson (9) | ARCO Arena I<br />10,333 | 32âÂÂ8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 41 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Atlanta | W 117âÂÂ107 | Worthy (29) | Green (8) | Johnson (13) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 33âÂÂ8
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 42 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Chicago | W 110âÂÂ101 | Worthy (25) | Abdul-Jabbar (8) | Johnson (11) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 34âÂÂ8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 43 || February 4|| @ L.A. Clippers | W 117âÂÂ86 | Byron Scott (21) | Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (10) | Magic Johnson (11) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena<br />15,371 | 35âÂÂ8 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |- style="background:#cfc;" |- bgcolor="#bbffbb" |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 44 || February 9<br />7:30 pm PST || Indiana | L 108âÂÂ110 | James Worthy (30) | Green & Worthy (8) | Magic Johnson (11) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 35âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 45 | <br />6:30p.m. PST | @ Denver | W 120âÂÂ108 | Johnson (26) | Green (14) | Cooper (9) | McNichols Sports Arena<br />17,022 | 36âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 46 || February 12<br />5:30 pm PST || @ San Antonio | W 133âÂÂ132 | Scott & Worthy (23) | Magic Johnson (9) | Magic Johnson (13) | HemisFair Arena<br />15,770 | 37âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 47 | <br />12:30p.m. PST | Boston | W 115âÂÂ106 | Scott (38) | M. Thompson (11) | Johnson (14) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 38âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 48 || February 16<br />7:30 pm PST || L.A. Clippers | W 119âÂÂ100 | Byron Scott (30) | Mychal Thompson (9) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 39âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 49 || February 18<br />5:30 pm PST || @ Houston | W 111âÂÂ96 | Byron Scott (27) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (13) | The Summit<br />16,611 | 40âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 50 | <br />5:00p.m. PST | @ Atlanta | W 126âÂÂ119 (OT) | Worthy (38) | Green (11) | Johnson (19) | The Omni<br />16,451 | 41âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 51 | <br />12:30p.m. PST | Detroit | W 117âÂÂ110 | Worthy (24) | Scott,<br />M. Thompson (8) | Johnson (13) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 42âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 52 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Washington | W 111âÂÂ100 | Worthy (23) | M. Thompson (9) | Johnson (12) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 43âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 53 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Utah | W 112âÂÂ105 | Johnson (27) | M. Thompson (10) | Johnson (17) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 44âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 54 || February 28<br />7:30 pm PST || Phoenix | W 111âÂÂ97 | Byron Scott (30) | Mychal Thompson (7) | Magic Johnson (15) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 45âÂÂ9
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 55 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | @ Seattle | L 100âÂÂ114 | Scott (21) | Green (16) | Johnson (13) | Seattle Center Coliseum<br />14,850 | 45âÂÂ10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 56 || March 4<br />7:30 pm PST || Golden State | W 120âÂÂ107 | Byron Scott (30) | A.C. Green (11) | Magic Johnson (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 46âÂÂ10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 57 | <br />11:00a.m. PST | @ Dallas | W 108âÂÂ97 | Scott (28) | Green (12) | Johnson (16) | Reunion Arena<br />17,007 | 47âÂÂ10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 58 || March 7<br />4:30 pm PST || @ Philadelphia | W 110âÂÂ104 | Magic Johnson (24) | Magic Johnson (11) | Magic Johnson (17) | The Spectrum<br />18,168 | 48âÂÂ10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 59 || March 9<br />5:00 pm PST || @ New York | W 104âÂÂ99 | Magic Johnson (26) | Magic Johnson (14) | Magic Johnson (9) | Madison Square Garden<br />19,591 | 49âÂÂ10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 60 | <br />5:30p.m. PST | @ Chicago | L 107âÂÂ128 | James Worthy (21) | Green,<br />M. Thompson (12) | Milt Wagner (6) | Chicago Stadium<br />18,676 | 49âÂÂ11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 61 | <br />8:00p.m. PST | Dallas | L 101âÂÂ110 | Scott (35) | M. Thompson (11) | Scott (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 49âÂÂ12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 62 || March 14<br />7:30 pm PST || New Jersey | W 115âÂÂ105 | Byron Scott (21) | Kurt Rambis (6) | Wes Matthews (11) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 50âÂÂ12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 63 || March 15<br />7:30 pm PST || @ Portland | L 95âÂÂ112 | James Worthy (21) | A.C. Green (11) | Michael Cooper (5) | Memorial Coliseum<br />12,666 | 50âÂÂ13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 64 || March 19<br />6:30 pm PST || @ Phoenix | L 97âÂÂ102 | Mychal Thompson (21) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) | Matthews & Scott (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum<br />14,471 | 50âÂÂ14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 65 || March 20<br />7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State | W 130âÂÂ127 | Byron Scott (29) | Mychal Thompson (10) | Wes Matthews (13) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena<br />15,025 | 51âÂÂ14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 66 || March 22<br />7:30 pm PST || Houston | W 117âÂÂ95 | Byron Scott (21) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 52âÂÂ14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 67 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Denver | L 119âÂÂ120 | Worthy (24) | Green (13) | Scott (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 52âÂÂ15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 68 || March 26<br />7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento | L 92âÂÂ114 | Byron Scott (26) | James Worthy (9) | Wes Matthews (5) | ARCO Arena I<br />10,333 | 52âÂÂ16 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 69 | <br />7:30p.m. PST | Utah | W 122âÂÂ111 | Worthy (31) | Rambis (12) | Matthews (13) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 53âÂÂ16
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 70 | <br />6:30p.m. PST | @ Utah | L 92âÂÂ106 | Scott (23) | M. Thomspn (10) | Matthews (7) | Salt Palace<br />12,444 | 53âÂÂ17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 71 || April 3<br />7:30 pm PDT || Sacramento | W 108âÂÂ104 | James Worthy (24) | Mychal Thompson (7) | Wes Matthews (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 54âÂÂ17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 72 | <br />7:30p.m. PDT | Seattle | W 94âÂÂ90 | Worthy (28) | Worthy (8) | Worthy (4) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 55âÂÂ17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 73 || April 8<br />7:30 pm PDT || L.A. Clippers | W 126âÂÂ107 | Campbell & Scott (20) | Kurt Rambis (15) | Magic Johnson (9) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 56âÂÂ17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 74 || April 9<br />7:30 pm PDT || @ Portland | L 109âÂÂ119 | James Worthy (22) | Kurt Rambis (6) | Magic Johnson (12) | Memorial Coliseum<br />12,666 | 56âÂÂ18 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 75 || April 12<br />7:30 pm PDT || Portland | W 109âÂÂ103 | Scott & Worthy (25) | Mychal Thompson (13) | Magic Johnson (13) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 57âÂÂ18 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 76 | <br />6:30p.m. PDT | @ Denver | L 106âÂÂ120 | Campbell (16) | Johnson (11) | Johnson (10) | McNichols Sports Arena<br />17,022 | 57âÂÂ19 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 77 || April 15<br />7:30 pm PDT || Phoenix | W 117âÂÂ114 | Magic Johnson (31) | Mychal Thompson (9) | Magic Johnson (15) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 58âÂÂ19 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 78 || April 17<br />10:00 am PDT || @ Houston | L 119âÂÂ127 | Scott & M. Thompson (22) | Magic Johnson (10) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Summit<br />16,611 | 58âÂÂ20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 79 || April 19<br />5:30 pm PDT || @ San Antonio | W 133âÂÂ126 | James Worthy (28) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (9) | HemisFair Arena<br />12,456 | 59âÂÂ20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 80 | <br />5:30p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | W 114âÂÂ107 | Scott (31) | M. Thompson (11) | Johnson (23) | Reunion Arena<br />17,007 | 60âÂÂ20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 81 || April 22<br />7:30 pm PDT || @ Phoenix | W 117âÂÂ112 | Mychal Thompson (24) | A.C. Green (11) | Magic Johnson (17) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum<br />14,077 | 61âÂÂ20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 82 || April 24<br />12:30 pm PDT || Golden State | W 136âÂÂ100 | Tony Campbell (28) | Kurt Rambis (11) | Wes Matthews (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 62âÂÂ20
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 || April 29<br />7:30 pm PDT || San Antonio | W 122âÂÂ110 | James Worthy (22) | Mychal Thompson (14) | Magic Johnson (18) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 || May 1<br />7:30 pm PDT || San Antonio | W 130âÂÂ112 | Mychal Thompson (29) | Mychal Thompson (16) | Magic Johnson (15) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 2âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 || May 3<br />5:30 pm PDT || @ San Antonio | W 109âÂÂ107 | Magic Johnson (25) | James Worthy (11) | Magic Johnson (11) | HemisFair Arena<br />11,542 | 3âÂÂ0
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | <br />12:30p.m. PDT | Utah | W 110âÂÂ91 | Worthy (23) | Abdul-Jabbar (10) | Johnson (9) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | <br />8:00p.m. PDT | Utah | L 97âÂÂ101 | Scott (26) | M. Thompson (12) | Johnson (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | <br />8:00p.m. PDT | @ Utah | L 89âÂÂ96 | Scott (29) | M. Thompson (12) | Johnson (6) | Salt Palace<br />12,444 | 1âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | <br />12:30p.m. PDT | @ Utah | W 113âÂÂ100 | Worthy (29) | Abdul-Jabbar (11) | Johnson (9) | Salt Palace<br />12,444 | 2âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | <br />7:30p.m. PDT | Utah | W 111âÂÂ109 | Worthy (27) | M. Thompson (11) | Johnson (13) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 3âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | <br />7:30p.m. PDT | @ Utah | L 80âÂÂ108 | Scott (16) | M. Thompson (9) | Johnson (9) | Salt Palace<br />12,444 | 3âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | <br />12:30p.m. PDT | Utah | W 109âÂÂ98 | Scott (29) | Johnson (9) | Johnson (16) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 4âÂÂ3
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | <br />7:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 113âÂÂ98 | Worthy (28) | Green,<br />Johnson,<br />M Thompson (6) | Johnson (12) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | <br />7:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 123âÂÂ101 | Scott (30) | Abdul-Jabbar (7) | Johnson (19) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 2âÂÂ0 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | <br />5:00p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | L 94âÂÂ106 | Worthy (19) | Johnson (8) | Johnson (10) | Reunion Arena<br />17,007 | 2âÂÂ1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | <br />12:30p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | L 104âÂÂ118 | Johnson (28) | Green (12) | Johnson (12) | Reunion Arena<br />17,007 | 2âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | <br />8:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 119âÂÂ102 | Worthy (28) | Green (10) | Johnson (20) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 3âÂÂ2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | <br />6:00p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | L 103âÂÂ105 | Scott,<br />Worthy (27) | Worthy (11) | Johnson (12) | Reunion Arena<br />17,007 | 3âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | <br />12:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 117âÂÂ102 | Worthy (28) | Johnson (9) | Johnson (11) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 4âÂÂ3
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | <br />6:00p.m. PDT | Detroit | L 93âÂÂ105 | Johnson (28) | Green (12) | Johnson (10) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 0âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | <br />6:00p.m. PDT | Detroit | W 108âÂÂ96 | Worthy (26) | Green (13) | Johnson (11) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | <br />12:30pm PDT | @ Detroit | W 99âÂÂ86 | Worthy (24) | Worthy (9) | Johnson (14) | Pontiac Silverdome<br />39,188 | 2âÂÂ1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | <br />6:00p.m. PDT | @ Detroit | L 86âÂÂ111 | Johnson (23) | Green (10) | Johnson (6) | Pontiac Silverdome<br />34,297 | 2âÂÂ2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | <br />6:00p.m. PDT | @ Detroit | L 94âÂÂ104 | Abdul-Jabbar (26) | Abdul-Jabbar,<br />Green,<br />Johnson (6) | Johnson (17) | Pontiac Silverdome<br />41,372 | 2âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | <br />12:30p.m. PDT | Detroit | W 103âÂÂ102 | Worthy (28) | Green (10) | Johnson (19) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 3âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | <br />6:00p.m. PDT | Detroit | W 108âÂÂ105 | Worthy (36) | Worthy (16) | Johnson (14) | The Forum<br />17,505 | 4âÂÂ3
|- | | 80 || 80 || 28.9 || .532 || .000 || .762 || 6.0 || 1.7 || 0.6 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.2 || 14.6 |- | | 13 || 1 || 18.6 || .564 || .333 || .718 || 2.1 || 1.1 || 0.8 || 0.2 || 11.0 |- | | 61 || 8 || 29.4 || .392 || .320 || .858 || 3.7 || 4.7 || 1.1 || 0.4 || 8.7 |- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 82 || 64 || 32.1 || .503 || .000 || .773 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 8.7 || 1.1 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 11.4 |- | | 72 || 70 || 36.6 || .492 || .196 || .853 || 6.2 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 11.9 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.6 || 0.2 || 19.6 |- | | 3 || 0 || 2.3 || .000 || .000 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.000 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.7 |- | | 51 || 8 || 13.8 || .460 || .233 || .831 || 1.3 || 2.7 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 5.7 |- | | 70 || 20 || 12.1 || .548 || .000 || .785 || 3.8 || 0.8 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 4.0 |- | | 81 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 81 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 37.6 || .527 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| .346 || .858 || 4.1 || 4.1 || 1.9 || 0.3 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 21.7 |- | | 48 || 2 || 8.8 || .427 || .000 || .667 || 1.8 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 0.9 || 2.8 |- | | 9 || 0 || 4.2 || .231 || .000 || .800 || 1.0 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 1.6 |- | | 80 || 0 || 25.1 || .512 || .000 || .634 || 6.1 || 0.8 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 11.6 |- | | 14 || 0 || 5.9 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| .571 || .000 || .769 || 0.7 || 1.5 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 3.0 |- | | 40 || 4 || 9.5 || .422 || .200 || .897 || 0.7 || 1.5 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 3.8 |- | | 75 || 72 || 35.4 || .531 || .125 || .796 || 5.0 || 3.9 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 19.7
|- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 || 29.9 || .464 || .000 || .789 || 5.5 || 1.5 || 0.6 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.5 || 14.1 |- | | 15 || 0 || 6.3 || .429 || .000 || .688 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 3.1 |- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 || 0 || 24.5 || .412 || .403 || .741 || 2.4 || 2.7 || 0.8 || 0.3 || 6.4 |- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 || 18 || 30.3 || .544 || .000 || .753 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 7.3 || 0.8 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 10.1 |- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 40.2 || .514 || .500 || .852 || 5.4 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 12.6 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.4 || 0.1 || 19.9 |- | | 10 || 0 || 2.7 || .400 || .000 || .800 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 1.2 |- | | 19 || 6 || 9.8 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| .618 || .000 || .692 || 2.7 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 2.7 |- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 || 37.4 || .499 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| .436 || .865 || 4.2 || 2.5 || 1.4 || 0.2 || 19.6 |- | | 8 || 0 || 4.3 || .200 || .000 || .333 || 0.8 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 0.4 |- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 || 0 || 25.6 || .513 || .000 || .581 || 7.1 || 0.5 || 0.7 || 0.8 || 9.7 |- | | 5 || 0 || 2.8 || .400 || .000 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.000 || 0.4 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 0.2 || 1.2 |- | | style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 24 || 37.3 || .523 || .111 || .758 || 5.8 || 4.4 || 1.3 || 0.8 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 21.1
Player statistics citation: