Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick wants his team to avoid having to participate in the Play-In Tournament this season.

All of a sudden, the Los Angeles Lakers are No. 2 in the Western Conference. The Darvin Ham era was full of ups and downs and inconsistency, but

Luka Doncic’s past bond with JJ Redick could be fueling the Lakers' title push—here’s how their connection plays a role.

The revolving door to the coach’s office has finally stopped with JJ Redick, who is what the Lakers hoped he would be, and maybe more after win over Clippers.

On Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers star Luka Doncic once again showed that he is fitting in quite nicely with his new team, which notched its seventh win in a row, by a 136-115 margin, and again firmed up its position as the No. 2 seed in the West.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is not expected to return to the bench this season to coach the team, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

However, the Lakers will have to go through a gauntlet to finish strong. Following the devastating Los Angeles fires that forced the postponement of multiple games, including matchups against the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA released a revised schedule—one that has sparked outrage among Lakers fans as the matchups approach.