Back On Their Home Courts, Lakers And Rockets Are Both Determined To Postpone Elimination

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick saw the urgency he was anticipating Tuesday while his team practiced before what could be its final game of a tumultuous season.

"I would describe us as on edge," Redick said. "As we should be."

The Lakers aren't the only high seed with its collective back against the gym wall heading into a high-stakes Wednesday in the NBA playoffs .

The third-seeded Lakers and the second-seeded Rockets both won division titles this season while barely outlasting several competitors in the tight Western Conference, where only four wins separated second-seeded Houston from eighth-seeded Memphis.

But the Lakers and Rockets are both on the brink of elimination now: The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors are taking 3-1 leads on the road with the chance to finish these first-round series and send themselves into a second-round matchup with each other.