The Los Angeles Lakers enter December with their first 17-2 start since they won the NBA championship in the 2008-09 season. Through Saturday, they're one of two teams - the Milwaukee Bucks are the other - in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

But the Lakers' success so far comes after playing one of the league's easiest schedules. Their last 10 games of November (and 14 of their 19 games thus far) were against teams that currently have losing records.

The schedule is about to turn. When you factor in opponent strength, game location and rest, the Lakers have the league's toughest December schedule by a pretty wide margin.

Ten of the Lakers' 14 December games will come against teams that enter the month with a winning record. Nine of the 14 - including eight of nine over a stretch that begins Tuesday - will be on the road. And the Lakers won't have a single rest-advantage game in the month of December, with three of those already in the books.

• Rest advantage / Rest disadvantage: Games in which one team (at a disadvantage) played the day before and the other (at an advantage) did not. This season, teams are 37-23 (.617) with a rest advantage, 26-12 (.684) at home and 11-11 (.500) on the road.

The Lakers' Christmas Day matchup with the Clippers (a home game for the Lakers) is just one of the highlights. They began the month in humbling fashion, trailing by as many as 21 in a 14-point home loss to the Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.

On Tuesday, the Lakers will begin a three-game trip with a visit to the second-place Nuggets, who they'll also play at home on Dec. 22. And before that game, they'll conclude a five-game trip in Milwaukee, their first meeting with the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Here's a breakdown of every Western Conference team's December schedule ...

Western Conference, strength of December schedule Team G H/R RA/RDA OppPCT OppO OppD L.A. Lakers 14 5/9 0/1 0.592 13.7 11.4 Dallas 15 6/8 2/2 0.562 12.9 13.5 New Orleans 15 8/7 3/1 0.544 13.0 13.9 LA Clippers 15 5/10 1/2 0.539 11.7 14.5 Portland 14 10/4 0/1 0.519 16.3 13.6 Denver 16 9/7 1/3 0.505 16.2 15.0 Oklahoma City 15 8/7 2/2 0.502 16.3 14.9 Minnesota 14 6/8 3/1 0.492 15.6 16.0 Utah 14 7/7 2/1 0.491 17.1 15.2 Memphis 16 7/9 0/3 0.477 16.8 15.4 Sacramento 16 7/9 3/1 0.474 14.9 16.8 San Antonio 12 7/4 1/0 0.460 13.7 18.9 Phoenix 15 5/9 3/4 0.460 15.7 17.5 Houston 15 6/9 2/1 0.445 15.5 17.5 Golden State 15 8/7 1/2 0.414 17.6 18.7 G = Total games

H/R = Home & road games (doesn't include neutral-site games)

RA/RDA = Rest-advantage & rest-disadvantage games

OppPCT = Cumulative opponent winning percentage entering Dec.

OppO = Average opponent ranking in offensive efficiency

OppD = Average opponent ranking in defensive efficiency

More Western Conference notes:

Two of this season's three neutral-site games will take place on Dec. 12 ( Mavs vs. Pistons ) and Dec. 14 ( Spurs vs. Suns ) in Mexico City. Those count as home games for Detroit and Phoenix.



vs. ) and Dec. 14 ( vs. ) in Mexico City. Those count as home games for Detroit and Phoenix. The Mavs ' No. 1 offense will play seven December games against teams that enter the month in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. That's two Sunday road games (Dec. 1 and 29) against the Lakers as well as five straight games (Dec. 14-22) against the top five teams in the Eastern Conference.



' No. 1 offense will play seven December games against teams that enter the month in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. That's two Sunday road games (Dec. 1 and 29) against the Lakers as well as five straight games (Dec. 14-22) against the top five teams in the Eastern Conference. After hosting the Lakers on Tuesday, the Nuggets will have a four-game trip through the Atlantic Division. But then they'll return for their longest homestand of the season: Five games from Dec. 12-20.



will have a four-game trip through the Atlantic Division. But then they'll return for their longest homestand of the season: Five games from Dec. 12-20. It might not mean much, but the Warriors have the league's easiest December schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage.



have the league's easiest December schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage. The Rockets are one of two teams - the Warriors are the other - with 11 games against teams that enter the month with losing records. That includes two games each against the Spurs, Suns and Kings.



are one of two teams - the Warriors are the other - with 11 games against teams that enter the month with losing records. That includes two games each against the Spurs, Suns and Kings. The Clippers have two six-game trips this season, one in December and one in January, all part of a stretch where they're playing 18 of 31 games on the road, with two of the other 13 being "road" games against the Lakers. The December trip begins in Milwaukee on Dec. 6 and includes Kawhi Leonard's return to Toronto on Wed., Dec. 11. That game is not part of either of the two back-to-backs on the trip, but it is in the middle of the Clips' only five-games-in-seven-days stretch of the season. The Clips also have a league-high nine games against the teams that enter the month in the top 10 in offensive efficiency.



have two six-game trips this season, one in December and one in January, all part of a stretch where they're playing 18 of 31 games on the road, with two of the other 13 being "road" games against the Lakers. The December trip begins in Milwaukee on Dec. 6 and includes Kawhi Leonard's return to Toronto on Wed., Dec. 11. That game is not part of either of the two back-to-backs on the trip, but it is in the middle of the Clips' only five-games-in-seven-days stretch of the season. The Clips also have a league-high nine games against the teams that enter the month in the top 10 in offensive efficiency. The Grizzlies have the biggest December discrepancy between rest-advantage games (zero) and rest-disadvantage games (three). All three of the latter are at home and against Eastern Conference opponents (Indiana, Washington and Charlotte).



have the biggest December discrepancy between rest-advantage games (zero) and rest-disadvantage games (three). All three of the latter are at home and against Eastern Conference opponents (Indiana, Washington and Charlotte). The Timberwolves are 7-2 on the road, but have yet to have a trip of more than two games. They have four trips of four or more games this season, and two of them - both four games long - are this month. Those eight total road games include a lot of important matchups in regard to the Western Conference standings.



are 7-2 on the road, but have yet to have a trip of more than two games. They have four trips of four or more games this season, and two of them - both four games long - are this month. Those eight total road games include a lot of important matchups in regard to the Western Conference standings. The Suns begin the month in Charlotte (Monday) and Orlando (Wednesday). And then they'll play 14 straight games within the Western Conference. Their four rest-disadvantage games are the most for any team in December.



begin the month in Charlotte (Monday) and Orlando (Wednesday). And then they'll play 14 straight games within the Western Conference. Their four rest-disadvantage games are the most for any team in December. The Blazers have the league's most home-heavy December schedule, with 10 of their 14 games at the Moda Center. But they're one of four teams that doesn't have a rest-advantage game this month. Their only game against a team playing the second game of a back-to-back (Dec. 21 vs. Minnesota) is also the second game of one of their two December back-to-backs. (They're just 1-3 in rest-advantage games anyway.)



have the league's most home-heavy December schedule, with 10 of their 14 games at the Moda Center. But they're one of four teams that doesn't have a rest-advantage game this month. Their only game against a team playing the second game of a back-to-back (Dec. 21 vs. Minnesota) is also the second game of one of their two December back-to-backs. (They're just 1-3 in rest-advantage games anyway.) The Kings have the only Texas Triangle trip (three straight road games in Texas, Dec. 6-9) in the league this season. Three of the last four teams that have done the trip (including last season's Warriors) have lost all three games.



have the only Texas Triangle trip (three straight road games in Texas, Dec. 6-9) in the league this season. Three of the last four teams that have done the trip (including last season's Warriors) have lost all three games. The Spurs play a league-low 12 games in December, and are the only team without a single back-to-back this month. They also have the league's easiest December schedule in regard to opposing defenses, with only one of their 12 games (Dec. 21 against the 10th-ranked Clippers) against teams enter the month in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.



play a league-low 12 games in December, and are the only team without a single back-to-back this month. They also have the league's easiest December schedule in regard to opposing defenses, with only one of their 12 games (Dec. 21 against the 10th-ranked Clippers) against teams enter the month in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. The Jazz enter December with a 5-1 record in back-to-backs, 2-1 in the first game and 3-0 in the second game. But they will begin the month with a tough one, playing in Toronto (where the Raptors are 8-0) on Sunday and with a rest disadvantage in Philadelphia (where the Sixers are 9-0) on Monday. After that though, they'll have a three-game homestand that includes their first two rest-advantage games of the season: Dec. 4 vs. the Lakers and Dec. 9 vs. the Thunder.

All eyes on the Sixers' offense



Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown admitted to NBA.com earlier this season that building a good offense around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is "the greatest challenge that I have." Through November, the Sixers rank just 16th offensively, having scored 107.8 points per 100 possessions and struggling with turnovers and perimeter shooting.

Their win over the Pacers' top-10 defense on Saturday was one of the Sixers' best offensive games of the season (119 points on 101 possessions). But more tests await the Philly offense.

The Sixers will play a league-high eight of their 16 December games against teams that enter the month in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. That includes marquee games at the Wells Fargo Center against the Toronto Raptors (Sunday, Dec. 8) and Milwaukee Bucks (Christmas Day), an Embiid-Rudy Gobert head-to-head matchup to start the month (on Monday), as well as two games against the Miami Heat.

Philly is one of five teams with a league-high 16 games in December and one of four teams with a league-high four back-to-backs this month, which includes their only five-games-in-seven-days stretch of the season (Dec. 7-13). They also have the most December games (four) with a rest advantage, but in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage, only the Lakers have a tougher December than the Sixers.

There will still be 46 games to play once the calendar hits 2020, but this will be a good month to take stock of just where the Sixers stand offensively.