The Los Angeles Lakers are battling for that much-coveted sixth seed in the Western Conference. Grabbing that seed means earning an outright playoff berth, skipping the Play-In Tournament altogether. Because of that, the Lakers are expected to play LeBron James against the Phoenix Suns (despite his status). Ahead of that game, James talked to a good friend/rival of his, Kevin Durant. (video from ClutchPoints' Michael Corvo)

Unlike the Lakers, the Suns are pretty much locked into their current playoff seeding. As a result, they're going to be sitting their top stars against LeBron James and LA, including Kevin Durant. This is once again another instance of LeBron and KD bizarrely not playing in the same game despite their teams facing off. It's one of the weirdest coincidences in the NBA.

At the very least, the absence of Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton gives the Lakers hope in their quest for the sixth seed. To maximize their chances, LeBron and LA needs to win their last two games (this game and the finale the Jazz). However, they'll need the teams above them to give them some help..

The Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers are tied for the 5th and 6th seed in the West. For the Lakers to notch one of those seeds, there's a couple of scenarios that need to happen. If LeBron and co. wins one game, they need the Warriors to lose their last two, plain and simple. That's because the Clips own the tiebreaker against the Lakers, but the Lakers own the head-to-head against the Dubs. They also will need the Pelicans to drop a game to ensure the highest possible seed.

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If LA wins their last two games, though, then, things get a lot easier for the Lakers. In that scenario, Darvin Ham's squad needs either the Clippers to lose twiceā€¦ or for the Warriors to lose at least one. A two-game winning streak also ensures that the Pelicans can't possibly overtake them in the standings.

One thing's for sure, though: the next two games are must-wins for the Lakers. Skipping the Play-In Tournament allows LeBron and AD to rest their nagging injuries.