LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the greatest NBA players of a generation, are locked in another playoff battle. Rings are no longer on the line. It's for home court in a win-or-go-home play-in tournament opener.
Their Los Angeles Lakers (29-26) and Golden State Warriors (26-25) are ninth and 10th place in the Western Conference. One is going home early, if not both, if neither can climb higher in the standings. They're doing their best, each winning five of their last six games to pad themselves against fully falling out of contention.