We’re hitting the home stretch of the NBA regular season, and what a ride it’s been for the Los Angeles Lakers.

No team in the league has gone through as much change as the purple and gold in the past year, from hiring JJ Redick as head coach this summer to trading for Dorian Finney-Smith in December and breaking the internet by sending Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luka Dončić in February.

The Lakers have been one of the best teams in the league since acquiring Luka, but a recent rash of injuries has put their standing in the Western Conference in jeopardy.

LeBron James strained his groin in a loss to the Celtics on Saturday, and he’s had company on the bench as Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes have all missed time, as well.

At their peak, the Lakers had surged all the way into second in the West, but now they’re smack in the middle of a four-team pileup thanks to an active three-game losing streak. The Grizzlies and Nuggets are tied for the 2-seed, while the Lakers and Rockets are a game behind them.

The Lakers have the third toughest remaining schedule, which only underscores how vital it is to get healthy, and soon.

Having home-court advantage in the first round could make all the difference against what is bound to be a strong opponent, and having it twice if they can secure the 2-seed would be absolutely enormous.

Every game counts the same in the standings, but not all wins and losses are created equal. With that in mind, let’s look at the three most important games remaining on the schedule.

Winning these won’t guarantee the 2-seed, but they’ll help the Lakers have confidence heading into the postseason no matter where they end up.

March 19th vs. the Nuggets

The Nuggets had a five-game winning streak over the Lakers until L.A. finally broke the curse in late February with a dominant 123-100 road win.

The Nuggets still have the tiebreaker though thanks to their two previous wins this season, and unless the Lakers can beat them tonight and in four days, that will remain the case.

We’ve circled this matchup because there’s a chance that LeBron will be back for it. Winning at Ball Arena without the King is going to be a tall order, but if he can make it back in time for this home matchup? That’s another story.

The Lakers showed that they might finally have an edge on the Nuggets when the two teams are at full strength, so more than the effect this game will have on the standings, what we really want to see here is if the Lakers have a chance if these two teams meet in the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Prove that last month’s win wasn’t a fluke, and Lakers fans will feel good entering the postseason regardless of seeding.

March 29th at the Grizzlies

Just like tonight’s game against the Nuggets, this game is the final one of a four-game road trip.

That makes it difficult enough, but the Lakers need to summon the energy to take down Ja Morant and company. This is a pivotal seeding game, as the Lakers can lock up the tiebreaker over the Grizz if they win.

Shutting down Morant will be key to victory in this one.

The young star has averaged over 25 points per game in his 13 previous efforts against L.A., and his explosive ability to get into the lane and finish could wreak havoc on the Lakers’ much-improved defense.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is also going to be a problem.

The former Defensive Player of the Year award winner isn’t going to let Jaxson Hayes feast on lobs like he has been since Luka arrived, and his vastly underrated offensive game will give Hayes issues on the other end, too. JJJ is averaging 22.7 points per game this year, a career high.

Memphis is more mature than they were a year or two ago, but they’re still a young team. If the Lakers can give them a beating just two weeks before the regular season ends, it could pay psychological dividends if the two meet when it really counts.

March 31st vs. the Rockets

Two day after tussling with the Grizzlies, the Lakers finally return home to host the Rockets. These two teams have met only once so far this year, a 119-115 Houston win in early January.

This is the first of two remaining games between them, with the other being the 81st game of the season.

If L.A. hopes to get the tiebreaker, they have to win this one first. Fortunately, both games are in Los Angeles, where the Lakers are currently 25-7, the third-best home record in the league.

Luka has typically loved playing the Rockets in his career, as he’s averaging 31.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. In his last five games against them, he’s dropped 37 or more four times.

The Lakers may be skidding now, but barring any further setbacks, they should be at full strength by time this game rolls around.

They’ll likely need a strong stretch to close the season in order to lock up a good seed, but the schedule is not going to make it easy. After this game, they only play two games that they definitely should win, against the Pelicans and at the Blazers to end the regular season.

Every other game is going to be a war, both physically and emotionally.

The Lakers host the Warriors three days after this game, then play two in a row at Oklahoma City, which is the worst thing the schedule-makers can do to a team. One night later, Luka’s much-anticipated Dallas homecoming will be the third game in four nights. By then, the team is going to be drained in more ways than one, so they better stock up on wins before then.