against Inter in a fixture that has historical significance for the two sides.

The teams have been drawn together in the last eight, paired in a wide open half of the bracket that also sees Inter's Serie A rivals Napoli and Milan meet.

Any one of those four teams might hope to go all the way to the final – a stage where Benfica have played Inter previously.

The only prior clash between the sides in the European Cup was in the 1965 final, which Inter won 1-0 at San Siro.

Benfica will return to Milan next week but must first play the first leg in Lisbon against an Inter side winless in six across all competitions.

It was put to Schmidt that Inter's form might make Benfica favourites, but the gravity of the game was his primary focus.

"We'll see if it's favourable or not. The draw is the draw," said the Benfica coach. "Both teams have quality and deserve to be here, there's no doubt.

"Just look at their squad. They are experienced players with so much quality.

"It's a very special game, also for the players. What I hope is that my players will be more motivated because it's a big game, but I also expect that of the Inter players.

"They will be ready, they will cause difficulties, and we have to find solutions and accept the history of the game.

"We have to try to play a good game tomorrow and in the second leg in Milan."

Both Benfica and Inter will be boosted by having seen how their opponents fare against domestic rivals. Benfica won home and away against Juventus in the group stage – only their third and fourth European Cup wins against Italian teams – while Inter eliminated Porto in the last 16.

"Of course we considered the games against Porto," Schmidt said. "We analysed the team in their game but not only in those two games.

"Inter are a team with a lot of experience, who know how to play both attacking and defensive football.

"They won the first game [against Porto] at home 1-0 and then came to defend the result in the second leg. It's a bit of the Italian style, and I know they can change that style.

"We are prepared for anything, and we want to play at our best."

Benfica themselves played Porto on Friday, beaten 2-1 at home for just their second Primeira Liga loss of the season, but Schmidt has no concerns.

"It's part of football to lose games," he said. "On Friday, we lost an important game, but I think we had won a lot before.

"We grow with victories and defeats. We can use defeats to grow and create something positive. I saw my team leave behind what happened very quickly, and in the last few days we have been concentrating on Inter."

Schmidt will be without Nicolas Otamendi, but Alex Grimaldo is fit to play, although that was as much information as the Benfica boss was willing to part with at his press conference.

"I'm not going to announce the XI," he said. "If you tell me Inter's starting XI, maybe I can say mine."

Enzo Fernandez is confident Chelsea "will get better with time" as he aims to win "anything and everything" in England.

Argentina's World Cup winner Fernandez was the most expensive of several January signings made by the Blues, who paid Benfica a Premier League record £106million (€121m) for the midfielder.

Chelsea have struggled since then, however, down in 11th in the Premier League, with Graham Potter becoming the second coach to be sacked at Stamford Bridge this season.

Potter at least guided Chelsea through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with European glory now realistically their only path back to that competition for next season.

Fernandez and Co. must get past Real Madrid in the last eight, with Chelsea great Frank Lampard back at the helm on a temporary basis.

Progress past reigning champions Madrid looks a tough ask, but Fernandez is confident his new club will soon be back on track.

"Adapting always takes time, meeting new players," he told UEFA.com.

"I was among the 10 new players that came in. It's hard with different languages, so it's difficult to connect with team-mates at the beginning.

"As time goes by, we start getting to know our team-mates better, and it will get better with time.

"Have I struck up a connection with Kai Havertz and Joao Felix? We do have this connection, away from the pitch as well, but we have many good players.

"All of our attackers are class and have quality, so all of them can play at the top level."

Despite Chelsea's woes this season, Fernandez certainly does not regret his big move, leaving Benfica only seven months after signing from River Plate.

"One of the factors was that I liked the long-term project the club is creating," he explained.

"I also always dreamed about playing in the Premier League, and Chelsea had shown their interest in me even before the World Cup.

"I came to a big club, one that has always fought for trophies and that has won two Champions Leagues in a very short period of time. Now that I'm here, I've realised how big this club really is.

"And that's what we wanted, what the club aimed for as a whole. This was an important factor when making this decision, apart from the fact that it's in such a beautiful city like London. I thought it all through with my family.

"If it's God's will, everything will turn out fine, and I'll strive to win anything and everything."

Jamal Musiala is one of the best talents Germany has ever produced, according to team-mate Leon Goretzka.

Musiala has burst onto the scene for his club side Bayern Munich as well as his national team, leading the former with 11 goals in this season's Bundesliga and impressing at the World Cup in Qatar despite Germany's shock early exit.

Goretzka plays alongside Musiala for both club and country, and he ranks the 20-year-old as one of the finest players his national side have ever produced.

"Jamal might be one of the biggest talents Germany has ever had because he's already able to constantly deliver good performances," Goretzka told UEFA.com.

"He doesn't have many ups and downs. The fact that he's already in our starting XI every week shows that. He helps us achieve our goals.

"He's extremely good on the ball, in narrow spaces, and he creates a lot of danger. He has outstanding qualities. If he keeps working like that and stays fit, the sky is the limit for him."

Goretzka, 28, feels it is up to him and his fellow senior players to help young prospects reach their potential, saying: "It's my task to help younger players and to serve as an example. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were the players who helped me when I came to Bayern.

"So I see it as my task. I won't tell [Musiala] how to dribble or what to do every day, because he knows best what to do, but I want to help him on the pitch, give him that strength or be there for him when he has a question, and help him in situations he doesn't know about yet, like all the media things that can be expected of him in the future. All of us in the team want to help him."

Bayern face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, and having been a key member of the team that won Europe's top club prize in the 2019-2020 season, Goretzka is hoping his side can lift the famous trophy again this campaign.

The German champions came through a tough group that included Inter and Barcelona, winning all six of their games to cruise through to the round of 16 where they then comfortably saw off Paris Saint-Germain, who they beat in the 2019-2020 final, 3-0 on aggregate.

"It's [Champions League] certainly the Everest of club football," Goretzka said. "If you look at the results so far, we have been very dominant this season.

"I think a lot of people in Germany gasped when they first saw our group. It was called the group of death with Inter, Barcelona and Bayern. It was clear one of those three big clubs would have to exit the competition at the group stage but we were sure it wasn't going to be us. In the end, we came through the group stage very confidently."

Bayern will be without striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for the first leg against City, with the striker not travelling to Manchester because of a knee problem that ruled him out of the 1-0 Bundesliga victory at Freiburg on Saturday.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has said the assistant referee who allegedly elbowed Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson will not be appointed during the investigation into Sunday's incident.

After the half-time whistle was blown at Anfield during Liverpool's 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal, images showed Robertson approaching Constantine Hatzidakis, who was seen to lift his elbow into the Scotland captain.

The PGMOL released a statement on Monday confirming that while The Football Association's investigation is ongoing, the assistant referee will not be appointed to any games.

The statement read: "PGMOL will not be appointing Constantine Hatzidakis to fixtures in any of the competition it serves whilst The FA investigates the incident involving the assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield."

Hatzidakis was also one of the assistant referees for Liverpool's game at Tottenham last season in which Robertson was left angered by the decision not to send Harry Kane off for a foul on him, before later seeing red himself.

Sunday's incident came just weeks after Fulham striker Alexandar Mitrovic received a red card for putting his hands on referee Chris Kavanagh during their FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.

The Serbian was given an eight-game suspension, with The FA appealing for a longer ban.

The NBA regular season has come to a close, which means the postseason is on the horizon to excite fans with its unpredictability and drama.

First, though, the play-in format returns for its third season and promises to once again add all sorts of further intrigue to the playoff picture.

The mini tournament takes place over April 11-14, with the teams that finished seventh and eighth playing one another to determine the seventh playoff seed from their respective conference, while the loser of that game gets a chance to secure the eighth seed when they host the winner of a game between the ninth and 10th seeds.

Therefore, the teams that finish seventh or eighth only need to win one game to advance to the playoffs, while those in ninth and 10th must win two.

Whoever clinches the seventh seed in the East will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, while the eighth seed will take on the Milwaukee Bucks. In the West, the seventh seed will go up against the Memphis Grizzlies, and the eighth seed will be paired with the Denver Nuggets.

Stats Perform previews the eight teams looking to secure their place in the 2023 NBA playoffs.

Eastern Conference

Tuesday, April 11 – Miami Heat (7th) vs Atlanta Hawks (8th) 

One of these teams has made the Eastern Conference Finals in each of the last three seasons, although that trend appears unlikely to continue this year.

After starting the season 2-5, the Heat soon recovered some sort of form without threatening to repeat the performances that saw them clinch the top seed in the East the previous year. They at least strung together a solid run over December and January, going 19-11, to boost their playoff hopes.

The Heat will be favourites in this matchup, having gone 4-1 in April and 3-1 against the Hawks this season, including winning back-to-back games in Miami in early March.

The trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro will be key, with all three scoring over 20 points per game in the regular season.

Opponents Atlanta went 7-3 to start the season, but their form dipped towards the end of 2022, before picking up again in January.

Trae Young, the star of their 2021 run, will be hoping to lead his team back to the playoffs, having averaged 26.2 points and 10.2 assists in the regular season, and the Heat's ability to stop him could be the key in this one.

The loser will host the winner of...

Wednesday, April 12 – Toronto Raptors (9th) vs Chicago Bulls (10th)

The Raptors have done well to reach this stage after a poor first half to the campaign, starting 16-23, but an improvement in 2023 saw them end level with the Hawks with an even .500 record.

Pascal Siakam averaged 24.2 points from his 71 games in the regular season, while Fred VanVleet (19.3) will also be required to lend a hand.

Chicago, who ended with a 40-42 record, will look to the pairing of Zach LaVine (24.8) and DeMar DeRozan (24.5) for inspiration after a promising end to the regular season on an 11-6 run.

The Raptors were 2-1 against the Bulls this season, including winning their most recent meeting in Toronto in late February on the back of a fourth-quarter fightback.

This promises to be another intriguing encounter.

Western Conference:

Tuesday, April 11 – Los Angeles Lakers (7th) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (8th)

This has been a fascinating season for the Lakers, who looked down and out but recovered to such an extent they ended up disappointed they had to settle for a play-in spot.

LeBron James and co. started 0-5 and then 2-10 as the word "crisis" was tossed about by all and sundry.

However, a subsequent run of 8-2 propelled them into a season few could have imagined in early November, while they also finished the year strongly on a 9-2 run.

James (28.9 points) and Anthony Davis (25.9) have each had injury issues, playing just 55 and 56 games respectively, but they have crucially found form and fitness at this crucial stage in the season.

The Timberwolves also have talent but come into this with a bit of a cloud over them after the fracas between big-trade flop Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson in their final game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Minnesota started 2-0 against the Lakers this season, but Davis had 38 points and 17 rebounds in a big win when the teams met less than two weeks ago.

The loser will host the winner of...

Wednesday, April 12 – New Orleans Pelicans (9th) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (10th)

The biggest story around this one centres on who will not be there, as Zion Williamson continues to sit on the sideline with a hamstring injury.

The Pelicans' star man averaged 26.0 points this season but played only 29 games and none since January 2.

Updates from New Orleans have remained vague, although Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has spoken of a "best possible outcome" that would "maybe" see Williamson in practice around the first round. Again, "if everything lined up perfectly".

That means Brandon Ingram will be required to carry the scoring burden for now, a task he warmed up for in fine style with a 42-point return against the Timberwolves on Sunday.

The Thunder will look to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead them into the postseason, with the 24-year-old averaging 31.4 points this year, the fourth-most in the league.

New Orleans were 3-1 against OKC this season, but the Thunder won their last game in March with Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 35 – albeit the Pelicans were without Ingram as well as Williamson.

Virgil van Dijk may have struggled for Liverpool this season but Jamie Carragher says no centre-back in the Premier League has ever had a greater impact on their team.

Carragher jumped to the defence of the Reds centre-back on Twitter, suggesting Van Dijk was far better than former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic and had performed on the same level as Kevin De Bruyne in recent years.

That came after Liverpool's entertaining 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, when Jurgen Klopp's defence left much to be desired as Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus fired in the first half.

Van Dijk's performances have repeatedly been questioned this season, with Carragher delivering a scathing assessment of the defender after Liverpool's 5-2 Champions League home thrashing by Real Madrid in February.

While former Reds captain Carragher acknowledged the disappointing nature of the Netherlands international's season, he believes no centre-back comes close to Van Dijk in the Premier League era.

Responding to another tweet criticising Van Dijk's form, Carragher wrote: "VVD [Van Dijk] is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB [centre-back], but have you forgot [Vidic's] performances against [Liverpool's Fernando] Torres?

"Rio [Ferdinand] and JT [John Terry] had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No CB in the PL era has ever had VVD's impact on a team."

Seemingly irked by football followers questioning Van Dijk, Carragher doubled down on his defence of the 31-year-old, likening his impact on the Premier League to City's De Bruyne.

"Never mind the best CB in the league, he's been the best player in the league along with KDB [De Bruyne] for four years before this one," Carragher added.

"We have never spoken about other CBs being the best player before, that shows the level he was at."

When questioned on the topic of impact, with Vidic's five Premier League titles, one Champions League and three EFL Cups at Manchester United put to him, Carragher insisted Van Dijk still reigns supreme.

"If you or anyone thinks Vidic is better than VVD you're not watching the same game! He's miles better!!"

Lucas Hernandez was back in Bayern Munich training on Monday for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the World Cup.

The versatile defender suffered the injury early on in France's Qatar 2022 opener against Australia in November.

He went down clutching his right knee after being turned by Matthew Leckie in the build-up to the Socceroos' opening goal.

France subsequently confirmed he ruptured his ACL, leading to fears that Hernandez's season – not just his World Cup – was over.

But his chances of being involved in Bayern's run-in have improved significantly after the club confirmed he was once again training with the ball on Monday.

Nevertheless, it would seem unlikely for Hernandez to be back in match contention during Bayern's Champions League quarter-final tie with Manchester City, the first leg being on Tuesday and the second eight days later.

He should be able to assist Thomas Tuchel's side in the final weeks of the Bundesliga season, however.

The defending champions are top of the table with seven matches to go but have only a two-point lead over Borussia Dortmund.

The Boston Bruins saw no better preparation for the Stanley Cup playoffs than chasing NHL regular-season records under pressure.

That was the message from Bruins coach Jim Montgomery after Boston set a single-season NHL record with their 63rd win following a 5-3 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Bruins moved past the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning (both 62 wins) and have two games to lay down another benchmark.

Boston are just one point behind the all-time single-season record of 132 held by the Montreal Canadiens (in 1976-77), who they visit on Thursday after hosting the Washington Capitals two days prior.

Montgomery had previously said his group are "aware" and "grasp" their record-breaking exploits, and acknowledged his team are using the regular season to prepare for the playoffs, which start on April 17.

"Being able to stay focused and learn how to win when chasing records is the closest thing you can do when you're having a season like us to prepare for the playoffs," Montgomery said.

David Pastrnak scored a hat-trick against the Flyers to take his tally for the season to 60, only Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has more with 64.

Bruins forward Pastrnak echoed Montgomery's sentiment as Boston aim to etch their name further in history.

"It's been a lot of fun, I'm not going to lie," Pastrnak said of the season. "It's been enjoyable, especially the group we have here.

"We obviously knew the stakes, and it's definitely special to hit it in a game like this. Made history today in the biggest league in hockey."

The Bruins set NHL records for the fastest team to 50 wins (64 games) and 100 points (61 games), while they have already secured home advantage in the playoffs after clinching the Presidents' Trophy.

Their latest record may come with some slight contention, given the Red Wings' 62 wins came without shoot-outs replacing tied games, whereas Boston have won four games via that deciding method this term.

Nevertheless, Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman says the 62-win mark stood for so long for a reason and revelled in breaking it.

"It's hard to win in this league and there's a reason why this record is at 62 because not many teams can get there, so it's a special honour," Swayman said.

"These guys in this room are more than deserving."

Montgomery added: "Anytime you're talking about putting your team's name in the history books of the most wins ever in a regular season, it's special."

Tottenham star Son Heung-min acknowledged feeling extra "pressure and attention" after sharing the Premier League Golden Boot last season.

Son scored 23 league goals for Spurs during the 2021-22 campaign, finishing level with Mohamed Salah as the division's top scorer.

That was Son's best Premier League goals total for a single season, six more than the 17 he managed 12 months earlier, and he believes such an outlay brought with it a level of scrutiny he had not felt before.

Although he insists he loves the pressure, Son's form amid the additional recognition has been underwhelming, managing just seven Premier League goals in 28 appearances.

The 30-year-old still has another eight matches left to play this term, and he did score in Saturday's 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, though there is a chance this could be the first season he has not reached double figures for goals since only getting four in his debut campaign for Spurs.

But regardless of how 2022-23 ends, Son sees no reason why he cannot come back stronger next term.

"Look, if I want to make excuses for the way I've played, I can find lots of them, but I'm not the type of guy who goes around making excuses and saying, 'That was not the real me'," Son told reporters.

"It happened, you move on, and I accept I was not at the top level.

"Last season was fantastic and to win the Golden Boot was a magical moment which gave me amazing confidence.

"Coming into the new season, everyone was saying, 'Sonny's got the Golden Boot' and expecting me to have another amazing run, but sometimes it's not that simple because you get more attention and more pressure, which I love.

"This is the reason we play, because I love this pressure, and it means I'm not the perfect player. I can still improve at my age, and the last eight games will be very important for me and the team."

Trent Alexander-Arnold must forget the idea of being a midfielder and focus on not being a "liability" defensively, otherwise he risks his chances with England in future.

That was the message from former England and Manchester United captain Gary Neville, now a Sky Sports pundit, who was left unimpressed by Alexander-Arnold's defensive lapses against Arsenal.

The Liverpool right-back was caught out of position when Gabriel Martinelli crossed from the left for Gabriel Jesus to head in Arsenal's second, after Martinelli had earlier opened the scoring at Anfield on Sunday.

Alexander-Arnold would make amends by creating Roberto Firmino's late leveller in the 2-2 draw, with his sixth Premier League assist against the Gunners (only Steven Gerrard has more with seven).

But Neville, who has regularly questioned the England and Liverpool defender's abilities at the back, says Alexander-Arnold's error-laden defensive performances cannot be masked by his output going forward.

"He was absolutely sensational going forward," Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. "I don't know what to say about him anymore because his defensive play is that bad.

"Some of the positions he takes up against Martinelli to defend a straight pass is schoolboy defending.

"I don't understand it. But some of his attacking play, his deliveries and his courage to get on the ball despite those mistakes has got to be admired. I admire him enormously.

"He doesn't need to become the best defender in the world. He just cannot be a liability. He doesn't have to be a great defender with the way in which he attacks. I don't think anybody is asking for that.

"You're just asking for a little bit of competence and attention to your work. The conversation will continue about him.

"I hope somehow over the summer the penny drops and he realises that his defensive work is hurting him.

"It's hurting him because he's been left out of the England squad. How can that talent be left out of an England squad?

"When you're playing for a team that is out of form such as Liverpool, those weaknesses get exposed a little bit more."

Klopp opted to utilise Alexander-Arnold as an inverted full-back when in possession, much like Oleksandr Zinchenko did for Arsenal.

Alexander-Arnold delivered in an attacking sense, with game-leading returns for final-third entries (13), chances created (four), touches (76) and passes into the opposition's third (24).

But Neville remains unsure whether Alexander-Arnold could replicate a similar showing if tasked with operating as an out-and-out midfielder.

He added: "Alexander-Arnold would drift into midfield in any case given the freedom being at right-back gives him, but if he was actually down to play in midfield away from home in the Premier League and he was getting the ball popped into him, when he's got his back to play, that's a different ball game.

"Some of the best midfielders in the world, the Xavis, [Andres] Iniestas, they're the ones who can manipulate the ball and Rodri does it very well. Trent wouldn't be able to do that, honestly.

"It's something we've said before about Declan Rice, and his ability to receive the ball on the half turn. You've got to be a top player who has played hundreds of games as a kid, looking over your shoulder.

"I've heard it said a number of times about full-backs being able to play in midfield before... 'he can play wide, he can play as a winger' – no they can't. That's why they're full-backs."

Rudy Gobert apologised to Kyle Anderson, his other Minnesota Timberwolves team-mates and supporters after punching Anderson during a chaotic win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Timberwolves triumphed 113-108 on Sunday but the victory was marred by an inexplicable confrontation between Gobert and Anderson.

After an animated discussion on the sidelines in the second quarter, Gobert aimed a jab at the chest of Anderson and was removed from the team for the remainder of the game.

Gobert was taken to the locker room and the Timberwolves were quick to inform their center had been sent home for his "unacceptable" actions, which Minnesota said will be handled "internally".

The 30-year-old took to Twitter after the game to smooth things over with Anderson and express his apologies to those involved with the Timberwolves.

"Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way I did regardless of what was said," Gobert wrote. 

"I want to apologise to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that I truly love and respect as a team-mate."

The Minnesota embarrassment was compounded as Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels reportedly also suffered a broken right hand after punching a wall at half-time.

The Timberwolves will travel to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the Western Conference play-in tournament.

If they lose, Minnesota will have another chance to qualify for the playoffs by beating the winner of the nine versus 10 matchup between the Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Brooks Koepka said it will take a while to get over missing out on winning the Masters after seeing Jon Rahm take the green jacket after Sunday's final round.

Koepka had led for the first three rounds at Augusta, only to finish tied for second with Phil Mickelson, four shots behind eventual winner Rahm.

Speaking after his final three-over round of 75, the 32-year-old did not believe he played well enough, but also failed to get "good breaks".

"Obviously it's super disappointing," he said. "I didn't play good enough to win. Hit some shots where I also feel like I didn't get some good breaks, the ball on nine; on four and six, I hit some good shots and just ended up in some terrible spots where it was quite difficult.

"Then 12, it was just kind of interesting, Jon hit nine and I hit a wedge over the green. Then 14, I felt like I just had to make a run for it. Didn't feel like I did too much wrong, but that's how golf goes sometimes."

Koepka also claimed that the pair in front of him and Rahm – Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland – were slowing them down, saying: "Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting."

With two LIV Golf players in Koepka and Mickelson in the top three, the former said it proved they can compete just as well as their PGA Tour counterparts.

"I mean, we're still the same people," he said. "I know if I'm healthy, I know I can compete. I don't think any of the guys that played this event thought otherwise, either. When Phil plays good, we know he's going to compete. [Patrick] Reed, the same thing.

"I think that's just manufactured by the media that we can't compete anymore; that we are washed up."

He added: "The way Jon played today was pretty impressive. I don't know, the game, it's so good right now, everybody, it's amazing to see all these guys compete. When they are at their best, they are all tough to beat."

Having also finished tied for second at the 2019 Masters, Koepka said he will not initially see the positives in such a high finish at a major, but will eventually do so.

"Probably not. Not today. Probably not for the next few days. But eventually it will be a positive," he said. "I'd say probably give it a week, and I'll start to see some positives out of it and carry this over to the PGA, the US Open and The Open.

"But right now, it's kind of tough to see, if I'm honest, probably for the next few hours and the next few days."

LeBron James implored the Los Angeles Lakers to "stay on edge" for their play-in tournament game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

The Lakers fell short of their goal of making the playoffs after a poor start to the season, despite Sunday's 128-117 win over the Utah Jazz.

James' side had rallied back from their early-season troubles to finish seventh in the West with a 43-39 record, but are in the box seat to make the playoffs via the play-in with home court advantage.

"For us, it's just good that we don't need to travel. We've travelled a lot lately," James told reporters.

"It's good that we get to stay here, but we shouldn't be comfortable. We have to stay on edge and get ready for the game."

The Lakers, who were NBA champions in 2020, missed the playoffs altogether in 2022 after being eliminated in the first round in 2021. The NBA playoffs proper commence on Saturday.

"Obviously it's different because usually in the postseason you have multiple days of prep for a team, but you literally have one day to prep," James said. "You're kind of locked in on everything that needs to be done."

The short turnaround may not suit the Lakers, who have seen veterans James and Anthony Davis miss plenty of games this season with injury.

"Be efficient with how we spend our non-game days," Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said. "Make sure they're getting the proper treatment between now and Tuesday.

"But they're aware, man. These stakes are high and a lot of times, I don't want to call it pressure, but the challenges of guys knowing what's at stake can weigh on them a little bit. But here we are, we know what's in front of us."

The Lakers' play-in opponents, Minnesota, have their own issues after Rudy Gobert attempted to punch teammate Kyle Anderson during a second-quarter timeout in their 113-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Gobert was dismissed by the team for the rest of the game and could have a suspension imposed on him by the Wolves.

The Wolves center apologised on Twitter, when he wrote: "Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate."

Jaden McDaniels also hurt his hand punching a wall in frustration during the game, with sources claiming an X-ray has revealed a season-ending fracture.