Take your pick for Lakers first-round opponent: Rockets or Timberwolves

The current conversations surrounding the Lakers’ playoff prospects are significantly different than they were a month ago. It was just 4 ½ weeks ago when there were real concerns about whether the Lakers, who were sixth in the Western Conference standings and in the midst of a three-game losing streak after falling to the Suns in Phoenix, would find themselves in the play-in tournament race. Or at best, starting the playoffs on the road, with...