NBA Western Conference Playoff Picture: Scenarios, Odds and 8th-Race Predictions

The NBA Western Conference standings could be significantly altered by the eight seeding games each team has to play in Orlando, Florida.

The No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers appear to be the only lock into their current seed, as they hold a 5.5-game advantage over the Los Angeles Clippers. There is a three-game gap between the Clippers and fourth-place Utah Jazz, and there are 2.5 games separating the Jazz and the No. 7 Dallas Mavericks.

While the race for seeding will be intriguing, the most attention should be paid to the competition for eighth place, which is led by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Six teams are vying for the final playoff position, and two appear to be on a collision course for a play-in series to earn the No. 8 seed. If the ninth-place squad is within four games of eighth, they will compete against each other for eighth.

Western Conference Standings

1. Los Angeles Lakers (49-14)

2. Los Angeles Clippers (44-20)

3. Denver (43-22)

4. Utah (41-23)

5. Oklahoma City (40-24)

6. Houston (40-24)

7. Dallas (40-27)

8. Memphis (32-33)

9. Portland (29-37)

10. New Orleans (28-36)

11. Sacramento (28-36)

12. San Antonio (27-36)

13. Phoenix (26-39)

Scenarios

The likeliest West scenario features the Lakers clinching the No. 1 seed. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Co. need to win three games to land the top position.

There is an abundance of scenarios for the next six seeds, and the simplest involves the Clippers outperforming the Denver Nuggets by one win and Utah by three victories to lock down the No. 2 seed. The Clippers' potential first-round opponent could be Dallas, which has a seven-game advantage over Memphis. The Mavericks need a victory to become the seventh West team to clinch a playoff berth.

Memphis is the front-runner for the No. 8 seed, but it needs to put distance between itself and the five teams chasing its spot to avoid a play-in game.

Odds

To Win Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers: +135 (bet $100 to win $135)

Los Angeles Clippers: +150

Houston: +600

Denver: +900

Dallas: +1500

New Orleans: +1800

Utah: +2200

Oklahoma City: +3000

Portland: +3500

Memphis: +20000

Phoenix: +20000

San Antonio: +30000

Sacramento: +50000

Odds via Caesars Palace.

8th-Place Prediction

New Orleans

The race for the No. 8 seed could come down to the two teams led by the favorites to win Rookie of the Year.

Although the Pelicans are 3.5 games back, they have an easier set of seeding games that features two meetings with the Sacramento Kings and one apiece against the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic at the end.

New Orleans will also have Zion Williamson available for its opener against Utah. According to Stadium and The Athletic's Shams Charania, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft should be cleared after a four-day quarantine mandated by his departure from the bubble.

If Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Co. can pull a win out of two games against Utah and the Clippers, they could take advantage of the Memphis matchup for a third time this season and then get on a roll to finish.

The Pelicans won both meetings with the Grizzlies by a combined 38 points. In those games, Ingram was joined by a teammate above 20 points. Williamson did it once, and Holiday produced 36 in the January 20 triumph.

A victory August 3 could send the competing teams in different directions. While New Orleans faces a fairly easy road, Memphis closes with Utah, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. The Jazz and Thunder need wins to earn high seeds in the West, and the Raptors and Celtics could need those contests to solidify their respective positions.

Even if they are paired in the play-in series, the Pelicans could have the upper hand because of their previous success and the momentum created from playing a weak schedule.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.