The Los Angeles Lakers continue pursuit of the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference when they host the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Los Angeles (51-29) is tied for fourth in the West with the Houston Rockets, with the Denver Nuggets (52-28) holding third with two games left in the regular season.
Denver has been soaring with 10 consecutive victories but finishes the regular season with games against the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder at home and a visit to the second-place San Antonio Spurs.
After the Suns, the Lakers finish with a Sunday home game against the lowly Utah Jazz. The Rockets host the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies to finish their slate.
The Lakers were sabotaging their chances with three straight setbacks before producing a 119-103 road victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
Two of the three recent defeats came against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder — by 43 points on the road April 2 and 36 at home Tuesday.
Los Angeles coach JJ Redick credited veteran LeBron James for the turnaround against Golden State. James had 26 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.
“Thought his leadership all day long, from the meeting and the walk-through this morning, just the way he carried himself,” Redick said. “He really set the tone for the team. The guys followed that.”
What’s uncertain is whether or not James will be on the floor leading the way Friday on the second end of a back-to-back. The Lakers, of course, are without stars Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) and are unlikely to have either player at the outset of their first-round playoff series.
“Hopefully LeBron will be available,” Redick said of Friday’s game. “We don’t know how he is going wake up (Friday morning). That’s just the reality of where we’re at with his career.”
Deandre Ayton stepped up against Golden State with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Overall, seven players scored in double digits.
Phoenix (44-36) already has clinched the No. 7 berth in the Western Conference and will face either the Los Angeles Clippers or the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in the play-in round.
Suns star Devin Booker (right ankle) will sit out on Friday with nothing on the line. He’s also expected to watch from the bench in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the host Thunder.
Booker admitted he was disappointed Phoenix didn’t capture a top-six playoff spot with the club having won just five of its past 14 games. But the 29-year-old veteran also sees plenty of opportunity as one play-in win gets the Suns into the main draw.
“I see it from both sides,” Booker said. “We look at this bad stretch that we went through and think about what it could have been. We definitely could have been in that four or five spot, maybe even three. I’ve always been the type (to have a) next-day mindset. We’re in the position that we’re in and we have to take full advantage of it and we have to get on the same page in a hurry.”
Booker scored 37 points in Wednesday’s 112-107 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks. It was his fifth 30-point outing in the last six games.
Dillon Brooks scored 28 points for his best performance in five outings since returning from a fractured left hand.
Jordan Goodwin (left ankle) has been ruled out while fellow guard Jalen Green (right knee) is questionable. Both players were injured against Dallas.
Phoenix is 3-1 against the Lakers this season with three of the meetings (including two Suns’ wins) coming in December.
–Field Level Media
