# 1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1982–83 NBA season was the Lakers' 35th season in the NBA and the 23rd season in Los Angeles. The Lakers were attempting to become the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as NBA Champions. However, on April 10, 1983, rookie and number one pick in the 1982 draft James Worthy injured his leg while attempting a putback in a home loss against Phoenix, ending his season. Even without Worthy for the playoffs, the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals, only to be swept in four games by the Julius Erving and Moses Malone led Philadelphia 76ers. This was Pat Riley's first full season as Lakers head coach.

## NBA draft

The Lakers were the defending league champions, which normally results in a low draft position, but the team had the top pick in the Draft thanks to a trade made years earlier. On February 15, 1980, the Lakers had sent Don Ford and their top pick in the 1980 NBA Draft (who turned out to be Chad Kinch) to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Butch Lee and the Cavs' top pick in the 1982 NBA Draft. Prior to the implementation of the NBA draft lottery in 1985, the teams with the two worst records from the previous season would flip a coin flip for the top pick. Cleveland finished last in 1981–82, and the Lakers won the coin flip with the San Diego Clippers.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
| 1 | 1 | James Worthy | Forward | United States | North Carolina |

## Regular season
### Season standings

Pacific Division :
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | - |
| Phoenix Suns | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 10 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 12 |
| Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 28 |
| San Diego Clippers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 33 |

### Record vs. opponents

1982-83 NBA Records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | KCK | LAL | MIL | NJN | NYK | PHI | PHO | POR | SAS | SDC | SEA | UTA | WAS |
| Atlanta | – | 1–5 | 5–1 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 |
| Boston | 5–1 | – | 3–2 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 |
| Chicago | 1–5 | 2–3 | – | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–5 |
| Cleveland | 0–6 | 1–5 | 1–5 | – | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 |
| Dallas | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 3–3 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 5–0 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 0–2 |
| Denver | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | – | 2–0 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| Detroit | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–5 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 |
| Golden State | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 0–2 | – | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Houston | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 2–3 | – | 2–0 | 1–5 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–5 | 1–5 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 0–6 | 1–1 |
| Indiana | 0–6 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–5 |
| Kansas City | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | – | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 1–4 | 4–2 | 2–0 |
| Los Angeles | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 |
| Milwaukee | 4–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 3–2 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 |
| New Jersey | 4–2 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | – | 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| New York | 2–3 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | – | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 |
| Philadelphia | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | – | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 |
| Phoenix | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | – | 5–1 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 0–2 |
| Portland | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–5 | – | 2–3 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| San Antonio | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | – | 4–1 | 1–4 | 5–1 | 2–0 |
| San Diego | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 1–4 | – | 0–6 | 2–3 | 0–2 |
| Seattle | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–5 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 6–0 | – | 5–0 | 1–1 |
| Utah | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 6–0 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 2–3 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 0–5 | – | 0–2 |
| Washington | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — |

## Game Log
### Regular season

1982–83 game log Total: 58–24 (home: 33–8; road: 25–16) :
October: 0–1 (home: 0–1; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
October 29
Golden State
L 117-132
Magic Johnson (22)
Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (10)
Magic Johnson (10)
The Forum 15,802
0–1 :
November: 12–3 (home: 8–0; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
2
November 3
@ Denver
W 135-134 (OT)
3 players tied (22)
Magic Johnson (15)
Magic Johnson (13)
McNichols Sports Arena 14,807
1-1
3
November 4
Denver
W 131-108
Norm Nixon (21)
Kurt Rambis (11)
Magic Johnson (9)
The Forum 12,815
2–1
4
November 6
@ Utah
W 104-101
Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (22)
Magic Johnson (11)
Magic Johnson (8)
Salt Palace 11,869
3–1
5
November 7
Portland
W 103-89
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11)
Magic Johnson (10)
The Forum 13,526
4–1
6
November 9
Kansas City
W 139-117
Norm Nixon (20)
Abdul-Jabbar & Worthy (7)
Norm Nixon (13)
The Forum 12,402
5–1
7
November 12
Houston
W 127-96
Magic Johnson (28)
Johnson & Wilkes (10)
Norm Nixon (10)
The Forum 15,804
6–1
8
November 14
Cleveland
W 111-98
Jamaal Wilkes (30)
Magic Johnson (12)
Norm Nixon (12)
The Forum 12,806
7–1
9
November 16
@ Phoenix
L 105-113
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15)
Magic Johnson (7)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,288
7–2
10
November 17
@ Dallas
L 117-118
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22)
Kurt Rambis (9)
Norm Nixon (13)
Reunion Arena 17,134
7–3
11
November 19
Washington
W 122-92
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23)
3 players tied (9)
Norm Nixon (10)
The Forum 14,945
8–3
12
November 21
Denver
W 143-129
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29)
Kurt Rambis (16)
Norm Nixon (15)
The Forum 17,505
9–3
13
November 24
@ Seattle
W 111-93
James Worthy (26)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13)
Magic Johnson (10)
Kingdome 26,230
10–3
14
November 26
@ San Diego
W 117-115
Magic Johnson (32)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13)
Norm Nixon (8)
San Diego Sports Arena 12,077
11–3
15
November 28
Golden State
W 142-127
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27)
Kurt Rambis (9)
Magic Johnson (13)
The Forum 16,125
12–3
16
November 30
@ San Antonio
L 114-117
Norm Nixon (23)
James Worthy (10)
Norm Nixon (11)
HemisFair Arena 12,115
12–4 :
December: 12–3 (home: 6–1; road: 6–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
17
December 1
@ Houston
W 106-95
Johnson & McAdoo (19)
Abdul-Jabbar & Wilkes (8)
Magic Johnson (10)
The Summit 8,786
13–4
18
December 3
Portland
W 115-100
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22)
3 players tied (9)
Magic Johnson (14)
The Forum 13,787
14–4
19
December 5
Philadelphia
L 104-114
Jamaal Wilkes (22)
Bob McAdoo (9)
Johnson & Nixon (7)
The Forum
14–5
20
December 8
Phoenix
W 89-86
Jamaal Wilkes (20)
Kurt Rambis (13)
Magic Johnson (8)
The Forum 13,763
15–5
21
December 10
@ Utah
W 128-122
Bob McAdoo (26)
Magic Johnson (12)
Magic Johnson (13)
Salt Palace 9,023
16–5
22
December 11
@ Golden State
W 128-107
Kurt Rambis (20)
Kurt Rambis (14)
Cooper & Nixon (9)
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,335
17–5
23
December 14
@ Portland
L 103-107
Magic Johnson (24)
Magic Johnson (8)
Magic Johnson (12)
Memorial Coliseum
17–6
24
December 17
New Jersey
W 117-106
Jamaal Wilkes (27)
Johnson & Wilkes (8)
Magic Johnson (13)
The Forum 15,786
18–6
25
December 18
@ Phoenix
L 100-126
Jamaal Wilkes (20)
Bob McAdoo (8)
James Worthy (7)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,856
18–7
26
December 19
Dallas
W 110-108
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (17)
Magic Johnson (13)
The Forum 14,094
19–7
27
December 22
Utah
W 124-100
Bob McAdoo (22)
3 players tied (7)
Magic Johnson (12)
The Forum 12,358
20–7
28
December 23
@ San Diego
W 120-115
Magic Johnson (23)
Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (7)
Magic Johnson (9)
San Diego Sports Arena 8,160
21–7
29
December 26
@ Houston
W 96-94
Jamaal Wilkes (22)
Magic Johnson (10)
Magic Johnson (4)
The Summit 10,833
22–7
30
December 29
@ Golden State
W 120-110
Magic Johnson (27)
Kurt Rambis (13)
Magic Johnson (10)
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,335
23–7
31
December 30
Seattle
W 137-117
Norm Nixon (24)
Magic Johnson (8)
Magic Johnson (16)
The Forum 17,505
24–7 :
January: 10–3 (home: 6–0; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
32
January 2
Detroit
W 127-112
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28)
Magic Johnson (7)
Magic Johnson (12)
The Forum 15,343
25–7
33
January 5
@ Philadelphia
L 120-122 (OT)
Jamaal Wilkes (36)
Magic Johnson (12)
Magic Johnson (20)
The Spectrum 18,482
25–8
34
January 6
@ Cleveland
W 125-107
Norm Nixon (20)
Kurt Rambis (12)
Magic Johnson (8)
Richfield Coliseum 11,270
26–8
35
January 8
@ New York
W 108-90
McAdoo & Wilkes (20)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10)
Johnson & Nixon (8)
Madison Square Garden 19,591
27–8
36
January 11
@ New Jersey
L 96-110
Wilkes & Worthy (17)
Johnson & McAdoo (8)
Magic Johnson (11)
Brendan Byrne Arena 20,149
27–9
37
January 15
@ Atlanta
W 120-101
Jamaal Wilkes (21)
Magic Johnson (17)
Magic Johnson (21)
Omni Coliseum 15,956
28–9
38
January 19
San Diego
W 107-104
Jamaal Wilkes (26)
Kurt Rambis (10)
Magic Johnson (12)
The Forum
29–9
39
January 21
San Antonio
W 119-110
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23)
Bob McAdoo (7)
Norm Nixon (15)
The Forum
30–9
40
January 23
Indiana
W 105-102
Jamaal Wilkes (28)
Bob McAdoo (9)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7)
The Forum 14,139
31–9
41
January 25
@ Portland
W 125-120
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25)
Magic Johnson (9)
Magic Johnson (9)
Memorial Coliseum 12,666
32–9
42
January 26
Milwaukee
W 115-113
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29)
Magic Johnson (12)
Magic Johnson (20)
The Forum 17,505
33–9
43
January 28
Atlanta
W 109-85
Magic Johnson (21)
Kurt Rambis (12)
Magic Johnson (9)
The Forum 17,505
34–9
44
January 30
@ Boston
L 95-110
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27)
Magic Johnson (9)
Magic Johnson (10)
Boston Garden 15,320
34–10 :
February: 6–6 (home: 2–3; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
45
February 2
@ Dallas
L 120-122
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (34)
Johnson & Rambis (9)
3 players tied (6)
Reunion Arena 17,134
34–11
46
February 4
@ Kansas City
W 143-125
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28)
Magic Johnson (10)
Magic Johnson (15)
Checkerdome
35–11
47
February 6
Kansas City
W 116-106
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (18)
James Worthy (8)
Magic Johnson (11)
The Forum 17,505
36–11
48
February 8
@ Seattle
W 121-118
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30)
Magic Johnson (10)
Magic Johnson (11)
Kingdome 19,726
37–11
49
February 9
Utah
W 113-99
Jamaal Wilkes (22)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13)
Magic Johnson (12)
The Forum 13,656
38–11
All-Star Break
50
February 15
San Antonio
L 103-124
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26)
Abdul-Jabbar & McAdoo (10)
Norm Nixon (12)
The Forum 15,111
38–12
51
February 17
@ Dallas
W 127-110
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13)
Magic Johnson (11)
Reunion Arena 17,134
39–12
52
February 18
@ Kansas City
L 118-124
Jamaal Wilkes (26)
Johnson & Worthy (7)
Magic Johnson (15)
Kemper Arena 15,116
39–13
53
February 20
@ Indiana
W 126-112
Magic Johnson (27)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13)
Norm Nixon (13)
Market Square Arena 10,952
40–13
54
February 23
Boston
L 104-113
Magic Johnson (20)
Magic Johnson (13)
Magic Johnson (10)
The Forum 17,505
40–14
55
February 26
@ Utah
L 92-101
Jamaal Wilkes (17)
3 players tied (9)
Magic Johnson (10)
Salt Palace 12,097
40–15
56
February 27
Denver
L 120-135
Magic Johnson (28)
Kurt Rambis (14)
Magic Johnson (11)
The Forum 17,505
40–16 :
March: 13–3 (home: 8–1; road: 5–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
57
March 1
@ Chicago
W 114-111
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13)
Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (8)
Chicago Stadium 15,307
41–16
58
March 2
@ Milwaukee
W 127-117
Magic Johnson (34)
3 players tied (7)
Magic Johnson (15)
MECCA Arena 11,052
42–16
59
March 4
@ Washington
L 93-96
Norm Nixon (26)
Kurt Rambis (9)
Magic Johnson (10)
Capital Centre 17,118
42–17
60
March 5
@ Detroit
W 122-108
James Worthy (28)
Johnson & Worthy (10)
Magic Johnson (16)
Pontiac Silverdome 25,278
43–17
61
March 8
@ Golden State
W 116-112
Magic Johnson (31)
Magic Johnson (12)
Johnson & Nixon (9)
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,335
44–17
62
March 9
San Diego
W 119-114
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8)
Magic Johnson (20)
The Forum 17,505
45–17
63
March 12
Chicago
W 123-116
Norm Nixon (27)
Magic Johnson (12)
Magic Johnson (14)
The Forum 17,505
46–17
64
March 16
Phoenix
W 104-95
Magic Johnson (25)
Magic Johnson (11)
Norm Nixon (12)
The Forum 16,060
47–17
65
March 18
Kansas City
W 109-96
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35)
Kurt Rambis (12)
Norm Nixon (13)
The Forum 15,817
48–17
66
March 19
@ San Diego
L 99-107
Jamaal Wilkes (22)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8)
Norm Nixon (10)
San Diego Sports Arena 13,075
48–18
67
March 20
Dallas
W 117-110
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23)
Kurt Rambis (9)
Magic Johnson (16)
The Forum 17,505
49–18
68
March 22
Seattle
W 123-108
Jamaal Wilkes (26)
Magic Johnson (15)
Magic Johnson (11)
The Forum 17,505
50–18
69
March 25
San Antonio
L 120-132
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23)
Magic Johnson (12)
Magic Johnson (11)
The Forum 17,505
50–19
70
March 27
Houston
W 114-93
Magic Johnson (26)
Dwight Jones (9)
Magic Johnson (9)
The Forum 14,719
51–19
71
March 29
San Diego
W 127-109
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7)
Magic Johnson (8)
The Forum 16,581
52–19
72
March 31
@ Denver
W 122-116
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26)
Magic Johnson (16)
Magic Johnson (12)
McNichols Sports Arena 17,310
53–19 :
April: 5–5 (home: 3–2; road: 2–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
73
April 1
New York
W 102-88
Norm Nixon (22)
Magic Johnson (9)
Magic Johnson (12)
The Forum 17,505
54–19
74
April 4
@ Seattle
L 111-121
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26)
Magic Johnson (10)
Magic Johnson (8)
Kingdome 18,045
54–20
75
April 5
@ Portland
L 101-107
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28)
Magic Johnson (16)
Magic Johnson (13)
Memorial Coliseum 12,666
54–21
76
April 7
@ Phoenix
W 117-108
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29)
3 players tied (8)
Magic Johnson (13)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,660
55–21
77
April 8
Golden State
W 118-107
Magic Johnson (36)
Magic Johnson (13)
Magic Johnson (14)
The Forum 15,176
56–21
78
April 10
Phoenix
L 95-101
Jamaal Wilkes (23)
Magic Johnson (9)
Magic Johnson (11)
The Forum 16,545
56–22
79
April 12
@ Houston
W 114-113
Magic Johnson (31)
Kurt Rambis (10)
Magic Johnson (9)
The Summit 8,147
57–22
80
April 13
@ San Antonio
L 109-114
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7)
Magic Johnson (12)
HemisFair Arena 15,782
57–23
81
April 15
Seattle
W 100-99
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29)
Kurt Rambis (12)
Magic Johnson (12)
The Forum 17,505
58–23
82
April 17
Portland
L 108-119
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10)
Norm Nixon (12)
The Forum 16,509
58–24 :
1982–83 schedule :

### Playoffs

1983 playoff game log Total: 8–7 (home: 4–4; road: 4–3) :
Conference Semi-finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 24
Portland
W 118–97
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32)
Johnson & Rambis (9)
Magic Johnson (18)
The Forum 13,891
1–0
2
April 26
Portland
W 112–106
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (37)
Jamaal Wilkes (9)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7)
The Forum 16,239
2–0
3
April 29
@ Portland
W 115–109 (OT)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30)
Rambis & Wilkes (9)
Magic Johnson (11)
Memorial Coliseum 12,666
3–0
4
May 1
@ Portland
L 95–108
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (34)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9)
Magic Johnson (8)
Memorial Coliseum 12,666
3–1
5
May 3
Portland
W 116–108
Norm Nixon (36)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11)
Magic Johnson (15)
The Forum 16,739
4–1 :
Conference finals: 4–2 (home: 1–2; road: 3–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 8
San Antonio
W 119–107
Abdul-Jabbar & Nixon (30)
3 players tied (8)
Magic Johnson (12)
The Forum 15,063
1–0
2
May 10
San Antonio
L 113–122
Johnson & Nixon (28)
Magic Johnson (12)
Norm Nixon (11)
The Forum 17,505
1–1
3
May 13
@ San Antonio
W 113–100
Jamaal Wilkes (26)
Magic Johnson (11)
Magic Johnson (13)
HemisFair Arena 15,782
2–1
4
May 15
@ San Antonio
W 129–121
Magic Johnson (31)
Magic Johnson (8)
Magic Johnson (17)
HemisFair Arena 15,782
3–1
5
May 18
San Antonio
L 112–117
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30)
Magic Johnson (11)
Magic Johnson (19)
The Forum 17,505
3–2
6
May 20
@ San Antonio
W 101–100
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28)
Magic Johnson (15)
Magic Johnson (16)
HemisFair Arena 15,782
4–2 :
NBA Finals: 0–4 (home: 0–2; road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 22
@ Philadelphia
L 107–113
Norm Nixon (26)
Mark Landsberger (10)
Magic Johnson (11)
The Spectrum 18,482
0–1
2
May 26
@ Philadelphia
L 93–103
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23)
Magic Johnson (8)
Magic Johnson (13)
The Spectrum 18,482
0–2
3
May 29
Philadelphia
L 94–111
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15)
Magic Johnson (13)
The Forum 17,505
0–3
4
May 31
Philadelphia
L 108–115
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28)
4 players tied (7)
Magic Johnson (13)
The Forum 17,505
0–4 :
1983 schedule :

## Player statistics

Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game

### Season

| Player | GP | MPG | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | PPG |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 79 | 32.3 | 592 | 200 | 61 | 170 | 1722 | 21.8 |
| Jamaal Wilkes | 80 | 31.9 | 343 | 182 | 65 | 17 | 1571 | 19.6 |
| Magic Johnson | 79 | 36.8 | 683 | 829 | 176 | 47 | 1326 | 16.8 |
| Norm Nixon | 79 | 34.3 | 205 | 566 | 104 | 4 | 1191 | 15.1 |
| Bob McAdoo | 47 | 21.7 | 247 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 703 | 15.0 |
| James Worthy | 77 | 25.6 | 399 | 132 | 91 | 64 | 1033 | 13.4 |
| Michael Cooper | 82 | 26.2 | 274 | 315 | 115 | 50 | 639 | 7.8 |
| Kurt Rambis | 78 | 23.2 | 531 | 90 | 105 | 63 | 584 | 7.5 |
| Dwight Jones | 32 | 15.3 | 114 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 156 | 4.9 |
| Mike McGee | 39 | 9.8 | 53 | 26 | 11 | 5 | 156 | 4.0 |
| Clay Johnson | 48 | 9.3 | 69 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 144 | 3.0 |
| Mark Landsberger | 39 | 9.1 | 128 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 98 | 2.5 |
| Eddie Jordan | 35 | 9.5 | 26 | 80 | 31 | 1 | 94 | 2.7 |
| Steve Mix | 1 | 17.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9.0 |
| Billy Ray Bates | 4 | 6.8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1.3 |
| Joe Cooper | 2 | 5.5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.0 |

### Playoffs
## Award winners/Honors

* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Second Team All-NBA, All-Star
* Michael Cooper, Second Team All-Defense
* Magic Johnson, First Team All-NBA, All-Star
* Jamaal Wilkes, All-Star
* James Worthy, First Team All-Rookie