NBA Play-In Tournament: Predicting the 8 teams that will compete in the East and West

Western Conference Play-In candidates

The Western Conference is where it gets really difficult to predict. Teams that are ranked 4-12 are separated by just five games. Teams 8-13 are separated by just one in the loss column. The next few weeks in the West should be interesting as there is still plenty to be resolved when it comes to the playoff picture.

The top three of Denver, Memphis, and Sacramento (oddly enough) seem to be safe from the Play-In Tournament. You can probably throw Phoenix Suns into that group with three games clear of the 7th seed, and even more so now that Kevin Durant is back and healthy.

That leaves the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Portland Trail Blazers battling for four spots.

The Pelicans, Thunder, and Lakers have the easiest schedule of the bunch while the Wolves and Jazz have the most difficult.

Here go my predictions for the West Play-In Tournament:

7. Dallas Mavericks 

8. Minnesota Timberwolves 

9. New Orleans Pelicans 

10. Los Angeles Lakers 

I believe the Pelicans and Lakers will get healthy just at the right time and make a strong final push to punch their tickets into the tournament. Keep an eye on the Oklahoma City Thunder as a potential dark horse, which would be quite the story.