The Lakers’ record and high-end talent, led by Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, suggests they’re NBA title contenders . A deeper dive into their season-long numbers suggests they’re pretenders. The truth, for now, lies somewhere in the middle, with the Lakers having 28 regular-season games before the postseason to determine which side of the fence they’ll end up on. With the trade deadline and NBA All-Star Weekend firmly behind them, the Lakers’ attention has turned back toward the “