Struggling Suns only a few games out of playoff picture

The Phoenix Suns play the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night, and with the team struggling since Kevin Durant went out with an ankle injury, there's a lot on the line as the season winds to a close.

State of play: With a 38-33 record, the Suns are in fourth place in the Western Conference.

• The Suns have lost four of six games since Durant's March 8 injury.
• Of the top 10 teams in the west, Phoenix has the toughest remaining schedule, The Arizona Republic reports.

Why it matters: Because only three games separate the fourth and 10th place teams in the west, the Suns are only 3.5 games from falling out of playoff contention.

• The Lakers are currently in 11th place and fighting for their playoff lives.
• Slipping out of the top four would leave the Suns without home court advantage in the first round.
• If they fall to ninth or 10th, they'll be forced into a play-in game to make the playoffs, and would face either Denver or Memphis, who've been dominating the conference, in the first round.

The intrigue: When Durant hurt his ankle, the team said he would be out for three weeks and then reevaluated — a timeline that would have him out at least another five games, the Republic noted.

• If our superstar acquisition only misses five more games, Durant's first game back will be March 31 against the West-leading Denver Nuggets.
• Of note: Phoenix has 11 games left in the regular season.

What we're watching: The struggling Lakers are one of the weaker teams left on the Suns' schedule, which still includes matchups against top squads like Denver, Sacramento and Philadelphia.

• The Lakers, who are missing star LeBron James, need some wins to keep themselves in the playoff race.