NBA Standings 2020: Pelicans, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Kings In 5-Team Race For Playoff Spot

The first seven Western Conference playoff teams are all but officially set. That leaves the final postseason berth up for grabs in the final seven weeks of the 2019-2020 NBA season.

The Memphis Grizzlies (28-30) have been the No.8 seed for quite some time. An injury to Jaren Jackson Jr. and the league’s toughest schedule will make it difficult for Memphis to hold onto that spot until mid-April.

The Portland Trail Blazers (26-33) 2.5 games behind the Grizzlies. The New Orleans Pelicans (25-33) are three games out of the No.8 spot in the West. The Sacramento Kings (24-33) and San Antonio Spurs (24-33) trail Memphis by 3.5 games, making it a five-team race.

The Phoenix Suns (24-35) don’t have a realistic shot to jump all of those teams. Phoenix is five games behind Memphis in the loss column and 14-24 in its last 38 games.

The Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors (12-46) are tied with the most difficult remaining schedule, per Tankathon. Their upcoming opponents have a .549 winning percentage.

Only the Atlanta Hawks (17-43) have an easier remaining schedule than New Orleans. The Pelicans will face teams that have a combined .445 winning percentage.

New Orleans is 18-10 in its last 28 games. Zion Williamson has been one of the NBA’s best players since making his season debut on Jan. 22, averaging 23.3 points and 7.1 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game.

If the Pelicans reach the playoffs, Williamson could potentially steal the Rookie of the Year award from Memphis’ Ja Morant.

Portland has the fourth-easiest schedule left. Damian Lillard could miss a few more games with a groin injury.

San Antonio and Sacramento also rank in the top-10 in terms of the easiest remaining schedules. The Spurs are 4-10 in their last 14 games. The Kings are 9-4 in their last 13 games.

The Dallas Mavericks (36-23) are 7.5 games ahead of Memphis for the No.7 seed. The No.6 seed Utah Jazz (36-22) and No.5 seed Oklahoma City Thunder (36-22) are also out of reach for the Grizzlies.