Only 0.5 games separate the No. 12 seeded Portland Trail Blazers and the No. 13 seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings as they prepare for battle on Sunday evening.
Both teams have two things in common. For one, they aren’t happy with their subpar records, even with strings of injuries to top players. Secondly, both teams could wake up one week from today, and theoretically find themselves at the door of the No. 6 seed, if the basketball gods work in their favor.
The Blazers continue on their six-game home stand, where they are 11-9 at the Moda Center, whereas the Lakers are 9-14 away from Los Angeles.