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With the Western Conference a tight-knit race yet again this season, this series will look at the standings and games to watch across the league as the Lakers look to secure home court and move up the standings.
As was the case down the stretch of the regular season last year, the Lakers could realistically be the No. 3 seed or fall into the play-in. Heading into Tuesday night’s contest, just two games separate the Rockets in the third seed and the Lakers in the sixth seed. A recent slump has dropped the Suns two games back of LA in the seventh seed, but they hold the tiebreaker over the purple and gold by winning the season series.
They’ll have a huge opportunity this week against Denver to take down one of the teams ahead of them in the Western Conference and get one game closer to having the tiebreaker.
Here’s a look at the current playoff standings in the middle of the conference:
3. Rockets — 38-22, 8 GB
4. Wolves — 38-23, 8.5 GB
5. Nuggets — 38-24, 9 GB
6. Lakers — 36-24, 10 GB
7. Suns — 34-26, 12 GB
Let’s take a look at the big games to watch around the league for the next couple of days and who you should be rooting for.
Tuesday
Grizzlies at Wolves — It’s hard to imagine the 23-36 Grizzlies beating the Wolves, but they will be entering this contest on a two-game winning streak. Perhaps Anthony Edwards can have an off-night and Memphis shocks us all.
Suns at Kings — As the Lakers found out for themselves, the Kings are an awful basketball team. Still, anyone can lose on any given night. Phoenix is dealing with injuries and will be playing without Dillon Brooks. So, if Sacramento’s youth like Maxime Raynaud or Nique Clifford can have big nights, that’s how the Kings can pull off the upset.
Thursday
Warriors at Rockets — Rooting for Golden State might not be what Lakers fans want to do, but at this point of the season, it’s necessary. As it stands, Houston is a couple of games in front of Los Angeles, and every loss helps the Lakers tremendously.
The Warriors have the talent to beat the Rockets even with Steph Curry out, but it’ll be an uphill battle.
Bulls at Suns — Since the All-Star break, Chicago has gone 1-5. So, don’t expect the Bulls to put up much of a fight in this one. If you are a basketball sicko, watch the opening quarter and see if Chicago offers a glimmer of hope that they can win this game.
Raptors at Wolves — Toronto could absolutely win this game against Minnesota on the road. They are 35-25 on the season and with former Lakers Brandon Ingram having another All-Star year, they are a formidable opponent every time they step onto the court.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.