The Los Angeles Lakers continued their post-All-Star break roll last week, picking up three more wins, pushing their win streak to seven. The memorable game from last week was Tuesday's triple-overtime thriller with Phoenix, a 139-137 Laker win. The Lakers are now 15-1 since the All-Star break, and their week ahead involves a huge contest at Staples Center against the Mavericks on TNT, essentially the battle for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
↵Here is a look at the week ahead for the purple and gold:
↵Thursday vs. Dallas (52-21): The winner of this game owns the tiebreaker between the two teams, which means home court advantage in the second round of the playoffs. The Lakers, who currently hold a one-game lead over Dallas, get three days off before this game, while the Mavericks have to face the Clippers on Wednesday night at Staples Center as part of a six-game road trip for Dallas.
↵Friday at Utah (36-38): The Lakers are playing on back-to-back nights, but Utah has been in free fall mode since the Deron Williams trade, and has lost 16 of their last 21 games.
↵Sunday vs. Denver (44-29): Denver has been outstanding since trading their superstar, winning 12 of 16 games since the Carmelo Anthony trade. However, the Lakers have beaten Denver in 13 of their last 15 regular season matchups in Los Angeles.
↵For more Lakers news and information, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Silver Screen and Roll.