Western Conference Standings Watch: Lakers continue to win but gain little ground

The Lakers took care of business this week, as did most of the West.

With the Western Conference being a tight-knit race, this will be a twice-weekly series looking at the Western Conference standings and games to watch as the Lakers look to move back into the playoffs.

The Lakers took care of their side of things this week. They beat the Clippers in the final regular season matchup of the hallway series and defeated the Wizards in overtime on the second night of a back-to-back.

They have won two in a row, but earning win number three will be a tough task as they’ll have to beat the Denver Nuggets, a team they’ve now lost to seven times in a row if you include last year’s playoff sweep.

We know every Lakers win helps L.A. dig themselves out of the ninth seed in the West, but what else should fans be rooting for this weekend?

Games to Watch

Friday

Warriors at Raptors - Can the Raptors help the Lakers on Friday? They’ll be off the night before, while the Warriors will be on the second night of a back-to-back.

Mavericks at Celtics - Just like bitter cough syrup your parents forced you to consume as a child, the Lakers will have to root for Boston for their own good. Dallas will still be in front of the Lakers in the standings by a couple of games, regardless of outcomes, so watching them drop a game on the road is essential, even if the team helping the Lakers is their arch-rival.

Kings at Timberwolves - The Timberwolves have been the top seed in the West virtually all year, so they shouldn’t have any problem taking care of the Kings at home. They have the size Sacramento can’t match and have the better guard in the Anthony Edwards versus De’Aaron Fox showdown.

Sunday

Sixers at Mavericks - The first game with play-in implications for Los Angeles on Sunday will be Mavericks vs. Sixers. Philadelphia has been dealing with life without Joel Embiid, which means lots of Tyrese Maxey usage.

If Maxey can ball out on Sunday, he can make it tough for Luka Dončić and the Mavericks to come away with the win.

Warriors at Celtics - Is there a way both teams can lose? The lesser of two evils is still evil, but for the Lakers to stay at No. 9 and potentially climb higher in the standings, they need the Celtics to beat the Warriors in a rematch of the 2022 championship.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.