Darvin Ham: Lakers 'Understand What's at Stake' in Playoff Race with 11 Games to Play

Time is winding down on the Los Angeles Lakers' hopes of climbing the standings to make a push for the playoffs.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is confident his players are aware of the urgency of the situation, telling reporters, "they understand what's at stake" with 11 games left to play.

At 34-37 entering Sunday night's game against the Orlando Magic, the Lakers sit in 11th place in the Western Conference and a half-game behind the Utah Jazz for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Los Angeles is coming off back-to-back losses against the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, dropping the team to 1-3 in its past four games.

The Lakers had looked like they turned a corner when they won six out of eight games following the All-Star break. Unfortunately, the team suffered a major blow when star forward LeBron James went down with a foot injury that has kept him out since Feb. 26.

Los Angeles said earlier this month that James would be reevaluated in three weeks, and that time is approaching. It would obviously benefit the Lakers to have him back in the lineup, and Ham added on Sunday that there is an expectation that James will be able to return before the end of the regular season.

If the Lakers are to make a move up the standings, now is the time. Seven out of their next eight games come against teams with records below .500, so Los Angeles should have a strong chance at stringing together some wins if they can take care of business.