Updated standings

With ten more games remaining in the regular season schedule, teams are positioning for playoff seedings.  With their win over Orlando last Monday, the LA Lakers crashed back into the play-in picture at number 10, as per updated rankings up to the time of this writing.

The Western Conference, as usual, will be wild as only four games separate the number four Phoenix Suns from the 12th placed New Orleans Pelicans.  The Denver Nuggets continues to hold on to the WC’s top spot with surprise entrant Sacramento Kings at second place.

It will be safe to say that this will be Sacramento’s first trip to the playoffs after 16 years, the longest ever active playoff failure in all four major US professional sports.   Their last playoff appearance was during the 2005-2006 season with the likes of Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ron Artest, Peja Stojakovic and Bonzi Wells in the lineup.

The Lakers need to win their three home games against Phoenix tomorrow, OKC on Saturday and the Bulls on Monday and hope losses for other WC playoff contending teams to solidify their post-season chances.  They had done well without LeBron and if Anthony Davis don’t get brittle again or do questionable plays, they’ll be good.

Detroit, Houston, San Antonio and Charlotte are out of the post-season cast.   They sit at the bottom four of the overall standings.  Three teams have officially qualified - Milwaukee and Boston in the East and Denver out West.

Here are the standings as of March 20:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Milwaukee         51 - 20

Philadelphia       48 - 22

Boston  49 - 23

Cleveland            45 -28

New York            42 - 30

Brooklyn              39 - 32

Miami               39 - 34

Atlanta                 35 - 36

Toronto                                35 - 37

Chicago                                33 - 37

Indiana                                 32 - 39

Washington                        32 - 39

Orlando                                29 - 43

Charlotte                             22 - 50

Detroit                                  16 - 50

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Denver                                 48 - 24

Sacramento                        43 - 27

Memphis                             43 -27

Phoenix                               38 - 33

LA Clippers                          38 - 34

Dallas                                    36 - 35

Golden State                     36 -36

Oklahoma                           35 - 36

Minnesota                          35 - 37

LA Lakers                             35 -37

Utah                                      34 - 36

New Orleans                      34 - 37

Portland                               31 - 40

San Antonio                       19 - 52

Houston                               18 -53