NBA Playoff Picture 2023: Predicting Play-In Games and Standings Entering Final Week

Eight teams are competing for six spots in the NBA's Western Conference.

Half of those franchises will be sent to the play-in round to earn their spots in the first round along with the six best teams in the conference.

Clarity has been hard to come by in the West because of how streaky all of the teams from fifth to 12th have been over the last month.

The latest swing of winning and losing streaks put the Los Angeles Lakers in seventh place with four games left to play entering Monday.

LeBron James and Co. may not be involved in the play-in round if they beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

The all-L.A. battle is one of several massive games in the final week of the regular season that could flip the play-in races in the Eastern and Western Conferences.

The Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls will play for seeding Tuesday night inside the United Center. The regular season ends Sunday with a clash between the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans that could decide the fate of multiple teams.

Eastern Conference

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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 02: Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) brings the ball up court during a NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls on April 2, 2023 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

1. Milwaukee (56-22)

2. Boston (54-24)

3. Philadelphia (51-27)

4. Cleveland (49-30)

5. New York (46-33)

6. Brooklyn (43-35)

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Play-In Race

7. Miami (41-37)

8. Atlanta (39-39)

9. Toronto (39-39)

10. Chicago (38-40)

The East play-in race is much easier to figure out than the one in the West.

The Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta and Chicago should be the four teams competing for the last two spots in the East playoff field.

Miami could catch the Brooklyn Nets, but the two-game gap could be hard to make up since the Nets have contests left against the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. The Heat could run into some trouble in Philadelphia on Thursday, and a loss then could keep them in seventh.

Tuesday's Atlanta-Chicago showdown will decide how the other three spots will play out.

The Bulls won their last two meetings with the Hawks. Their other regular-season contest was won by Atlanta in a one-point overtime game.

Chicago would move level with Atlanta on record with a win Tuesday, and it would own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Hawks.

That would be the ideal scenario for the Bulls since they can match results with the Hawks over their last three games. Chicago visits the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks and then hosts Detroit. Atlanta hosts the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers before visiting Boston on Sunday.

The Celtics could play a pivotal role in the play-in race because they host Toronto on Wednesday and Friday. Consecutive losses could doom the Raptors to the No. 10 seed.

Toronto already clinched a play-in berth, and Chicago can lock itself into the field with one win.

Play-In Game Predictions: No. 7 Miami vs. No. 8 Chicago, No. 9 Atlanta vs. No. 10 Toronto

Western Conference

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HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 02: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers backs in on Jabari Smith Jr. #1 of the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Toyota Center on April 02, 2023 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

1. Denver (52-26)

2. Memphis (49-29)

3. Sacramento (47-31)

4. Phoenix (43-35)

5. Los Angeles Clippers (41-38)

6. Golden State (41-38)

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Play-In Race

7. Los Angeles Lakers (40-38)

8. New Orleans (40-38)

9. Minnesota (39-40)

10. Oklahoma City (38-41)

11. Dallas (37-42)

12. Utah (36-42)

Two seismic shifts could happen in the West from a pair of results.

The Los Angeles battle on Wednesday could flip the Lakers and Clippers in the standings. The Lakers enter Monday a half-game behind the Clippers and Golden State Warriors.

The Lakers should beat the Utah Jazz twice over the next week, and they get the Phoenix Suns at home on Friday. Phoenix may not have anything to play for by that time since it is four games behind the Sacramento Kings and 2.5 games ahead of the Clippers and Warriors.

The Clippers only have three games remaining, and matching results with the Lakers will not be good enough if they lose Wednesday. They have struggled without Paul George, and the superstar's absence could hurt them against the full-strength Lakers.

Sunday's New Orleans-Minnesota game could determine the No. 8 seed if the Pelicans lose at least one of their next three games and the Wolves beat Brooklyn and the San Antonio Spurs on the road.

Minnesota needs to root for Sacramento, the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks to leave New Orleans with victories to set up the scenario to move up to No. 8.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks are both stumbling to the finish line. Dallas has the schedule advantage with a three-game homestand, but it plays Sacramento, Chicago and San Antonio. Only one of those contests should feature a win for the Mavs.

OKC visits Golden State and Utah before it finishes at home against Memphis on Sunday. The Thunder just need to finish with the same record as Dallas for the No. 10 seed since they own a 2-1 head-to-head record over the Mavs, and that could play into the Thunder's advantage if they can beat Utah and Memphis.

Play-In Round Projections: No. 7 L.A. Clippers vs. No. 8 New Orleans, No. 9 Minnesota vs. No. 10 Oklahoma City