The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on Sunday.

The Suns (48-19) continue to pummel their opponents, winning six of their last seven games coming into this matchup. This has been going on for months, though, with Phoenix owning one of the best records in the NBA since an 8-8 start. That actually means that they have 40 wins in their last 51 games in total, earning them the two-seed in the Western Conference. They're actually just one game back of the Utah Jazz in first and appear to be locked into one of those top-two seeds with only a handful of games remaining. That's a heck of an accomplishment for an organization that hasn't sniffed the postseason in a decade, and it's a testament to just how much they've grown.

The Lakers (37-30) have been freefalling down the standings ever since LeBron James went down, entering this matchup, losing eight of their last 10 games. The most recent defeat on Friday might have been the most important of the season, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers, 106-101. Those two teams were tied for the six-seed in the west, and that's the goal for many of these clubs. That's the final seed that avoids the dreaded play-in tournament, and the Lakers have an uphill battle to avoid that after this defeat. In any case, they are expected to get LBJ back before the postseason, and this is a club no one wants to face, no matter where they fall in the standings.

These teams have played twice this season, with Phoenix winning both outings. Before that, the Lakers won 10 of their previous 12 games over the Suns in this series.