4 NBA storylines that will come to an apex in final stretch

2. Where will the Los Angeles Lakers wind up in the standings?

There are two layers to the issues that plague the Los Angeles Lakers as they sit fifth in the Western Conference while awaiting the return of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Baring some type of massive upset elsewhere in the conference, LA wouldn’t possess any type of homecourt advantage. A championships-proven team as they are should feel confident in their ability to win on the road, but that doesn’t exactly make such a challenge a desired one.

If they don’t move out of the fifth spot, the Lakers would have to play three of the Nuggets, Clippers, Suns, and Jazz without homecourt. Such matchups would be slugfests in a neutral setting. Starting each on the road — Clippers technically being the exception — with a potential Game 7 outside the comfort of a purple and gold backdrop could add the type of wear and tear that could accumulate and derail a return to the Finals.

Then there’s the play-in tournament LA is getting closer to participate in only three games ahead of the seventh-seeded Mavericks. They’d certainly be favored to take care of business immediately,  but a team coming off the shortest offseason ever doesn’t need to add another game to its odometer.

Davis could return within the next two weeks and LeBron the next three. When either comes back will say a lot about where LA ends up in the standings, thus determining the extent of the latest in a long line of challenges the defending champions have had to overcome.