Lakers legend Magic Johnson rips 'ridiculous' idea team should lose play-in game to avoid facing Nuggets

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Five-time NBA champion Magic Johnson is weighing in on the Los Angeles Lakers postseason prospects. 

The Lakers finished the regular season ranked eight in the Western Conference standings, which earned the team a spot in the NBA Play-In tournament. LeBron James and the Lakers traveled to New Orleans this week for a play-In matchup with the seventh-seeded Pelicans.

A Lakers win would earn the team a spot in the first round, where Los Angeles would take on the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. But, some of the Lakers faithful expressed concern about the idea of going up against the team that eliminated Los Angeles in the Western Conference Finals last year.

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Magic Johnson speaks during the TSP Live 2022 conference at The Hotel at Avalon on June 24, 2022 in Alpharetta, Georgia. (Derek White/Getty Images)

But, a Los Angeles loss would open the door for a Lakers-Thunder first round matchup. But, the Lakers would have to defeat the winner of the other Western Conference play-in game between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.

 The Thunder finished the regular season with the second best win total in the NBA.

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However, Johnson quickly dismissed the "ridiculous" assertion that the Lakers gameplan entering Tuesday's game against New Orleans should involve intentionally losing the play-in game.

Los Angeles Lakers upper court view of the logo during game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers on May 08, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in