Editor’s note: We’ll update this list daily until the end of the regular season based on in-game results.

UPDATE: April 12, 2024

The Sacramento Kings have been eliminated from contention for the sixth seed after a fifth defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans this season. The Pelicans now have full control of their destiny.

6th: Pelicans (48-32) remaining schedule: Warriors, Lakers. Winning both games will guarantee sixth place finish.

7th: Suns (47-33) remaining schedule: Kings, Timberwolves. Suns cannot get the sixth seed if the Pelicans win both of their games, as Phoenix’s best possible record will be 49-33.

UPDATE: April 11, 2024

The Suns gave themselves a lifeline by beating the LA Clippers, but the Pelicans still have control of the sixth seed.

6th: Pelicans (47-32) remaining schedule: Kings, Warriors, Lakers. Winning all three games will guarantee sixth place finish.

7th: Suns (47-33) remaining schedule: Kings, Timberwolves. Suns must win final two games and Pelicans must lose at least one of their games to finish sixth.

8th: Kings (45-34) remaining schedule: Pelicans, Suns, Blazers. Kings must win all three games and see the Pelicans and Suns lose all of their games to finish sixth.

UPDATE: April 10, 2024

The New Orleans Pelicans (47-32) have retaken the sixth seed after beating the Portland Trail Blazers after the Phoenix Suns (46-33) lost to a Kawhi-less LA Clippers team. The Sacramento Kings (45-34) remain in the seventh seed after blowing a big first half lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pelicans now have direct control of their destiny and are guaranteed the sixth seed if they can win their final three games against the Kings, Warriors and Lakers.

Suns remaining schedule: Clippers, Kings, Timberwolves.

Kings remaining schedule: Pelicans, Suns, Blazers.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: April 8, 2024

With just around four games left in the regular season, four teams are still trying to fight for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the West.

The Western Conference is beyond wild this season. With the 2023-24 campaign about to close, there has been so much parity in terms of results in the Western Conference that there are now still four teams who have played 78 games and have a shot at making it out of the play-ins.

Here’s a quick breakdown of those teams, and how slim or good their chances are.

Phoenix Suns (46-32)

The Phoenix Suns have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games and have perhaps the hardest schedule to close out the season on paper with games against the LA Clippers (twice), Sacramento Kings, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, the caveat is that the Clippers may choose to rest Kawhi Leonard or Paul George in one or two of their games. The Clippers (50-28) have a two-game lead on the Dallas Mavericks (48-30) for the fourth seed and one Dallas loss could convince the Clippers to do so.

Their game against the Kings is a very interesting one because the two teams are tied at 2-2 for the regular season series and will play for a fifth time for a tiebreaker due to the In-Season Tournament.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, on the other hand, are likely to field their full team if they have a chance of winning the first seed, and they’re currently in possession of a slim hold on the first seed.

New Orleans Pelicans (46-32)

The New Orleans Pelicans have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games. However, they have a relatively winnable schedule and have complete control over their destiny. They have one game against the bottom-dwelling Portland Trail Blazers and also have games against the Kings, Warriors and Lakers.

The Pelicans have beaten the tar out of the Kings all season but are 1-2 against the Lakers and 0-2 against the Warriors. Based on schedule, it currently looks like the Pelicans may have the best shot at winning

Sacramento Kings (45-33)

The Kings have gone a pedestrian 5-5 in their last 10 games but just won a must-win game against the Nets to push themselves back into the eighth seed.

They have a tough schedule against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Pelicans, Suns and Blazers, and as mentioned before the Pelicans just seem to have their number. The Kings are in for a world of hurt to close out the season in terms of difficulty of matchups with the Pelicans and Suns being their direct competitors, while the Thunder are still fighting for the first seed. They’ve also shown that they can play down to their competition, so the Blazers game is uncertain. They’d have to beat the Thunder, Pelicans and Suns for sure, which is a tall order.

Los Angeles Lakers (45-34)

The Lakers have a nigh-impossible chance of making it to the sixth seed after a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves put them to a 45-34 record. They’d need to win all three remaining games against the Pelicans, Grizzlies and Warriors to finish with a 48-34 record while also hoping that the other teams above them basically lose all their games, which is impossible because the Pelicans and Kings play each other so one of them will get ahead.

The Kings also swept them in the regular season along with the superior division record so own a tiebreaker over them. As of now, it looks like the Lakers and Warriors are destined to once again face each other in the play-ins. The last time this happened in 2021, the Lakers edged the Warriors 103-100.