The Lakers are not just battling injuries. They are about to fight a rough patch of their schedule. 

Their next nine games are against teams that would currently make the playoffs, including Thursday’s road game against the Miami Heat.

The Lakers have the NBA’s fourth-hardest schedule the rest of the regular season as they try to hold onto fifth place in the Western Conference. LeBron James is not back yet, and neither is Anthony Davis, and there are no clear outlines for when the two All-Stars will return.

On one hand, Andre Drummond will probably play against Miami after his Lakers’ debut last week was short-circuited when a toenail was torn off against Milwaukee.

On the other hand, the Lakers will be without Talen Horton-Tucker Thursday because the NBA suspended the promising young player for one game.

Horton-Tucker picked up the automatic suspension by leaving the Lakers’ bench area and moving toward a first-quarter scuffle in Tuesday’s game against Toronto. (Side note: Lakers reserve Montrezl Harrell was fined $20,000 for his part in the fray but was not suspended.)

Horton-Tucker was a strong source of scoring lately, averaging 16 points over his last three games. He was a big reason the Lakers led by 34 points in the first half of their victory over Toronto.

The Lakers have managed to go 4-5 without James and Davis by beating teams well below them in the standings. Those games have ended for a while, replaced by upcoming games against Brooklyn, New York, Charlotte, Boston, Utah (twice) and Dallas (twice).

With so many challenges looming, a new item has rocketed to the top of the Lakers’ agenda with less than six weeks left in the regular season: Do not fall below sixth place in the West. 

If the Lakers finish seventh or, less likely, eighth, they’ll have to take part in the NBA’s play-in tournament to prove they belong in the playoffs.

It is an extra step the Lakers want to avoid for obvious reasons.

They could help themselves Thursday in Miami by matching their blistering output from three-point range against Toronto, including 12 threes in the first half.

The Lakers also held the Raptors to 15% shooting from 3-point range, a brief reminder of how good their perimeter defense can be — even without Davis and James.