The Mavericks and Lakers are nearing the play-in spot with one month left in the regular season.
Regularly, NBA.com writers weigh in on important stories and trending topics from around the league.
We have seen it in the East as well. Which team has the best chance of making it to the finals in the West Play-in race?
steve ashburner
Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have experience and pedigree (LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both on the NBA's Official Top 75 Players). Of the teams currently mired in play-in status, they have an even record against the top four seeds in the conference.
Golden State is 2-12 against the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks are 3-8 and the Phoenix Suns are 2-5 against the group. It is a loss.
The Lakers are 7 wins and 7 losses, but there is one big caveat. The Lakers are 0-3 against Denver this season, and 0-8 including the 2023 Western Conference Finals and the final regular season matchup in 2022-23. For this scenario to happen, someone has to beat the Nuggets.
brian martin
Sacramento Kings. For this to be successful, the team must do three things. First, they have to beat good teams. Of the four teams currently participating in the play-ins (Kings, Lakers, Warriors, Mavs), only Sacramento (20-17) has a winning record against teams above .500.
Second, the team must win on the road. The Mavs (18-13), Warriors (17-13) and Kings (19-15) are all hitting over .500 on the road, but the Lakers (12-19) have struggled. Third, that team has to beat the Nuggets. The defending champions are closing in on the West. The Lakers (eight), Warriors (six) and Mavs (four) have lost a combined 18 straight games against the Nuggets. The Kings lead the season series with 3 wins and 1 loss.
It's doubtful any play-in team will be able to pull this off, but the Kings have the best history of the four teams.
Sean Powell
Los Angeles Lakers. Surprise teams like the Miami Heat all come down to one very big factor. Could such a team avoid watching the Denver Nuggets while skipping down the yellow brick road? Because that's where all fantasy begins and ends.
None of the play-in candidates can play against the defending champion. If the Nuggets falter early in any way, name the Lakers as that surprise team. The Lakers have won three of four games against the Thunder this season and hold an advantage against the Clippers.
Karl-Anthony Towns is inconsistent, which makes the Timberwolves look vulnerable. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have won titles before. And just 10 months ago they reached the West final. So, yeah. Lakers.
John Schumann
New Orleans Pelicans. If the Pelicans or Suns were to slide into the play-in group, it would be them. New Orleans is the best team outside of the top four, and he's one of four teams currently ranked in the top 10 on both sides, so I vote for them.
The Suns have the most top-line talent that will be tough to play against in a playoff series. Of the teams currently in the play-in group, it could be Dallas.
The Mavs need to improve their defense, but I hope they can protect Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for four to seven games. Honorable mention goes to the Kings, who have the best record (8-5) against the top four in the Western Conference among all other Western teams.
Competitive record against the top 4 teams in the West Region (5-10 teams)
| team | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| sacramento | 8 | Five | 0.615 |
| los angeles lakers | 7 | 7 | 0.500 |
| new orleans | 6 | 6 | 0.500 |
| phoenix | 2 | Five | 0.286 |
| dallas | 3 | 8 | 0.273 |
| golden state | 2 | 12 | 0.143 |
Michael C. Wright
Phoenix Suns. Although the Lakers didn't make it to the NBA Finals last season, their performance in the postseason following the play-in tournament was certainly impressive. They aren't that dangerous of a team this season.
The Phoenix Suns own that title primarily because their new coach has a team that lacks quality depth but has plenty of star power in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. This is due to the fact that Frank Vogel is in charge. The trio combined for 88 points against Cleveland on Monday, with Durant, Booker and Beal each scoring 20 or more points in a game as Phoenix improved to 5-0.
