Will Lakers make the playoffs? Analyzing team's postseason chances as regular season nears end

The LA Lakers have played their way back into playoff contention and are 41-38 before facing the LA Clippers on Wednesday night. The guys in purple and gold are finally healthy, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis finally back on the court and gelling well together again.

The Lakers have won four in a row and are coming off an overtime win over Utah on Tuesday. LeBron hit the game-winner in overtime after missing a potential game-winning shot in regulation time.

LA sits seventh in the Western Conference standings with three games remaining in the regular season. The Lakers are tied with the Clippers on record but do not hold the tiebreaker. They can vault the Clippers into sixth with a win on Wednesday. The Lakers are 0.5 games behind the Warriors in fifth.

Whoever finishes in seventh place will have to compete in the play-in tournament, while finishing sixth or higher guarantees playoff basketball. It seems highly likely that the Lakers will at least make the play-in tournament.

The Lakers are only one game ahead of the Pelicans, who sit in eighth. LA finishes the season with home games against the Suns and Jazz, following the Clippers contest on Wednesday.

If the Lakers win, they could secure the sixth seed and face the Sacramento Kings in the first round. The Kings secured a playoff berth earlier this week, ending the longest playoff drought in the NBA.

The Lakers also have a chance at landing the fifth seed if the Warriors lose a couple of their final games and LA takes care of its business. This may not be desirable as the Lakers will likely face the Phoenix Suns in the first round, who have won six in a row and have a healthy Kevin Durant.

Only injuries can stop the Lakers from finishing strong

If the Lakers stumble down the stretch, they will end up in the play-in tournament. If the standings stay the same, then they will take on the New Orleans Pelicans for the seventh seed. If they win, the Lakers could advance to a first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies or Denver Nuggets.

If they lose the first game, then they will get a second chance to earn the eighth seed in a game against the winner of the ninth- vs. 10th game in the play-in tournament.

It would take another injury or run of poor performances for the Lakers to miss the playoffs. They are guaranteed to at least compete in the play-in tournament if they lose their three remaining games.