LOS ANGELES — The Lakers know what’s at stake in their eight games ahead. And it could be the difference between being a true contender or a pretender heading into the postseason.

Six of the Lakers’ next eight games come against teams with better records than them. First up is the Denver Nuggets (38-24) on the road on Thursday night, before returning to Los Angeles for a five-game homestand.

After that is a pair of games in Houston against the Rockets to kick off a six-game trip. And with the challenge ahead – after recording a 14-18 record against teams above .500 during the regular season so far – it’s up to the Lakers (37-24) to silence the noise of their detractors who say they can’t compete with the NBA’s best.

“We’re aware,” said Lakers guard Marcus Smart, who has nine steals in his last two games, matching his total from the 10 previous games. “(The eight-game stretch ahead is) not something we’re focused on, but we’re definitely aware and, you know, for us, and from my experience, we got to focus on one game at a time. And that’s, you know, the next game we play in Denver, we don’t have the luxury to look ahead.”

The luxury to look ahead is reserved for Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the teams that are in first and second place in the West, with plenty of room to spare before falling in seeding. The Spurs are the best team in the league over their past 10 games (9-1), scoring 123 ppg over that stretch. Meanwhile, the Thunder have gone 8-2.

The Lakers are straight down the middle (5-5), and still a “work in progress,” as Lakers coach JJ Redick has reiterated, but he also sees positives from what the Lakers have done since the All-Star break.

They rank 11th in offense, averaging 114.3 ppg, and sit 11th in opponents points per game (108.9 ppg).

“We’re still a top-10 offense,” Redick said before Tuesday’s victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. “And you know, a top-15 defense, which kind of was our goal coming out of All-Star break. So, yeah, we’re just going to keep pushing till we have it. I mean, there’s no other choice.”

LeBron James agreed with his coach’s assessment of the defense when asked if the Lakers are improving on that end of the court.

“I think we’ve made some strides defensively,” James said Tuesday night.

Smart and center Jaxson Hayes are to thank for some of the defensive progress. Against the Pelicans, the duo closed the game alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and James, holding the Pelicans scoreless for a nearly 4½-minute stretch during the fourth quarter as the Lakers surged to a late lead with a 14-0 run (part of a 24-7 game-ending run).

Notably, Redick turned to Hayes rather than starter Deandre Ayton in the closing minutes, a move that paid off when the 25-year-old reserve saved an offensive rebound, which then became a second-chance 3-pointer for Austin Reaves during the winning run. Redick admitted Tuesday that he’s still tweaking lineups, including trying to get Reaves and James on the court together more often (playing 24.7 minutes together, second to only Reaves and Doncic), as the Lakers head into the potentially grueling stretch against tough competition.

“Could be a perfect time or not,” Doncic said. “Just got to approach those games with the same mentality. Obviously, every one of that team has great players. They’re winning games. So we need to go game by game first of all, and then just try to win all those games.”

Another Dodgers-to-Lakers hire

The Lakers announced Wednesday morning that the organization hired Michael Spetner to serve in a newly created position of chief strategy and growth officer. Spetner becomes another former Dodgers employee making the switch to the Lakers, following President of Business Operations Lon Rosen, who took over for Tim Harris in the role two weeks ago.

Spetner worked for the Dodgers for the past decade, working alongside Rosen and for new Lakers majority owner Mark Walter as the team’s vice president of business strategy and analytics.

“As we look to redefine what’s possible across the sports landscape for fans and partners, we will build on the Lakers legacy and orient toward the future to consider what’s next,” Rosen said in a release. “Michael’s leadership will help us optimize our business to ensure long-term value.”

The release says Spetner is “responsible for leading the organization’s long-term business strategy, driving value and identifying emerging opportunities for international growth.”

LAKERS AT NUGGETS

When: Thursday, 7 p.m. PT

Where: Ball Arena

TV/Radio: Spectrum SportsNet, Prime Video/710 AM, 980 AM

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