With the Western Conference being a tight-knit race, this will be a series looking at the standings and games to watch as the Lakers look to secure home court and move up the standings.

The week has started well for the Lakers. They won back-to-back games against the Suns and Spurs and are now fourth in the West. Los Angeles is just a game behind the No. 2 Rockets but is even in the loss column.

Here’s a look at the current playoff standings in the middle of the conference:

2. Rockets — 44-25

3. Nuggets — 44-25

4. Lakers — 42-25

5. Grizzlies — 43-26

With the Lakers having played two games less than all the teams surrounding them, if they simply keep winning, they’ll inevitably gain ground and rise above their opponents regardless of what they do in their games.

Unfortunately, that also means their schedule is a lot more packed than everyone else. The Lakers have another pair of back-to-backs to play, and this time, they won’t be against the worst teams in the West; it’ll be a Nuggets-Bucks combo.

JJ Redick and the Lakers aren’t focusing on their schedule during this tough stretch; instead, they are determined to win their games regardless of the challenges.

If they take care of business and get some help, they could gain the No. 2 spot as early as this Wednesday.

Here are the matchups that Lakers fans should keep an eye on.

Wednesday

Nuggets at Lakers — Normally, we won’t put the Lakers games in these standings watch stories; however, since the Nuggets are also battling with Los Angeles for playoff positioning, we’ll make an exception.

Our preview breaks down this matchup best, so we’ll keep it simple here: the Lakers need to win so they can even the season series. A loss means Denver would own the tiebreaker and given how tight things are, that matters.

If the Lakers win this game, the next tiebreaker will be whoever wins their division. Los Angeles currently leads the Pacific Division, and since Denver is in the Northwest and OKC holds a 12-and-a-half-game lead over them, it’s safe to say the Lakers would have the edge over Denver.

Nuggets secure at least a split of season series for tiebreaker with Lakers, lead 2-1 with one to play.

Lakers can still win tiebreaker by winning final matchup in LA and winning their division (unless OKC basically never won the rest of the season)

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) March 15, 2025

Rockets at Magic — Houston is rolling right now with seven straight wins. On Wednesday, they’ll take on the struggling Orlando Magic on the road. The Magic are coming off a quality win over the Cavs, so hopefully, they can build on that momentum with a home win over the Rockets.

To pull off that upset, they’ll need Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to have big games and do their best to help neutralize Alperen Sengun’s impact.

Grizzlies at Blazers — The Blazers have had a rough year, but they’ve won two straight games, and the Grizzlies have been mediocre lately. If Portland can protect their home court, the Lakers will remain ahead of them in the standings.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.