The Los Angeles Lakers could be involved in both a 2020 NBA Finals preview and a Western Conference Finals preview in the span of 48 hours. The team is set to host the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night, followed by a matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center Sunday afternoon.

The three teams make up the NBA’s top tier of contenders. Milwaukee is the best team in the East with +230 odds to win the championship. As the top two seeds in the West, both L.A. teams have better than +350 title odds.

The Houston Rockets are a distant fourth with +1200 NBA Finals odds. The Toronto Raptors are a game ahead of the Clippers in the overall standings, but the defending champions aren’t considered to be nearly as much of a threat with Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles.

The Lakers are five games behind the Bucks for the NBA’s best record. LeBron James and Co. are five games ahead of the Clippers for the top spot in the West.

Los Angeles’ No.1 team has yet to prove that it can defeat either championship contender.

The Bucks defeated the Lakers 111-104 in Milwaukee on Dec. 19 in the only meeting between the two teams. Anthony Davis had 36 points on 11-25 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. James posted a triple-double with 21 points. 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He went 8-19 from the field with four turnovers and was a minus-14.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was the best player on the court with 34 points on 11-19 shooting, 11 rebounds and seven assists in just 32 minutes. The reigning MVP is the heavy favorite to win the award again. James is his only real competition.

James has had a better regular season than Leonard, but the 2019 NBA Finals MVP was the difference in both games between the Los Angeles teams.

Leonard scored 30 points on 10-19 shooting when the Clippers beat the Lakers 112-102 on Opening Night without Paul George. Leonard led all players with 35 points and 12 rebounds in the Clippers’ 111-106 victory over the Lakers on Christmas Day.

James has struggled shooting against the Clippers. He’s scored 41 points on 43 field-goal attempts.

The Lakers have plenty of impressive wins this season. They are 18-11 against opponents that are above .500. In their last eight games, the Lakers have wins over the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics, who are the No.3 seeds in their respective conferences.

If the Lakers remain winless against the NBA’s top contenders after this weekend, it will raise questions about their chances in the later rounds of the postseason.

Giannis Antetokounmpo LeBron James Bucks Lakers
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers hug following a game at Fiserv Forum on December 19, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
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