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.
LA had a golden opportunity to not only jump ahead of the Nuggets on Thursday, but also secure the tiebreaker over Denver.
Instead, they lost another close contest against the Nuggets, inching them closer to a play-in spot and farther away from a top seed in the West.
Here’s a look at the current
playoff standings in the middle of the conference:
3. Wolves — 40-23, 8.5 GB
4. Rockets — 38-23, 9.5 GB
5. Nuggets — 39-24, 9.5 GB
6. Lakers — 37-25, 11 GB
7. Suns — 35-27, 13 GB
At this point in the season, the Lakers need to take care of business and also root for the teams around them to start losing games if they are going to make progress towards a top-four seed.
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.
Friday
Blazers at Rockets — While the Rockets have been mediocre over the last 10 games, going 6-4, it’s hard to imagine they lose to a Blazers team that’s 30-33 on the season. The only way that happens is if Jrue Holiday has another throwback performance, like the one he had against the Grizzlies, when he scored 35 points.
Knicks at Nuggets — The Knicks have been a good-to-great team all season long. When you factor in that Denver is playing on the second night of a back-to-back and still missing key players, it’s very possible they can beat the Nuggets even on the road.
Pelicans at Suns — New Orleans has Zion Williamson back, and considering that they have no incentive to tank, they should have a chance in this game. The Suns won’t have Dillon Brooks, who remains out, and are also playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Saturday
Magic at Wolves — Orlando has been playing well as of late, winning four of their last six games, including a victory over the Lakers. Can they earn another road win by defeating the Wolves on Saturday?
To do that, the Magic will need Jalen Suggs to knock down his 3-pointers and Paolo Banchero to score in double figures and grab some rebounds.
Beating Minnesota won’t be easy. The Wolves are peaking at the right time and have won eight of their last nine games.
Sunday
Rockets at Spurs — This is a game Lakers fans should enjoy. San Antonio is clearly the second-best team in the West, so they should be able to beat Houston on Sunday. They have great superstar power in Victor Wembanyama and seem to be a young team looking to prove they are as good as their record indicates.
Hornets at Suns — The Hornets have been a pleasant surprise this year. LaMelo Ball is playing well, and Kon Knueppel is looking like not only the favorite for Rookie of the Year, but like a future star in the league.
Charlotte just got another quality win against Boston and has won five straight. The Suns will have a tough time beating them on Sunday.
Monday
Nuggets at Thunder — OKC, being far and away the best team in the West, will benefit the Lakers on Monday when they play Denver.
The Nuggets will have to play them at OKC, where the Thunder have been great, winning 25 games and losing just six.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
