The Western Conference has been the more dominant of the two conferences in the NBA over the last few years and this season was no different. 9 teams in the West, compared to the 7 teams in the Eastern Conference, finished with a .500 or better record and three of those teams will be partaking in this year’s play-in tournament. 

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers did not have the season they had hoped for after the NBA Bubble due to numerous injuries to their star players, the Golden State Warriors have had a bumpy season due to injuries as well, and then both the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs are looking to make it back to the playoffs and prove that they are two of the tougher teams in the West. 

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All four teams are definitely teams that have pulled off some impressive wins during the regular season, but with only two spots up for grabs, the play-in tournament in the Western Conference will come down to who has the most talent on their roster and which teams can rely on their core players to make the big plays. 

Now at full strength, the Los Angeles Lakers seem like a favorite to claim the 7-seed in the Western Conference, setting up a big series against the Phoenix Suns, but the Golden State Warriors and their MVP-candidate in Stephen Curry may have something to say about that! 

On the other side of things, the San Antonio Spurs are a younger team that is led by 4x All-Star wing DeMar DeRozan and the Memphis Grizzlies are looking to snap a three-year playoff drought. Wednesday’s play-in games in the Western Conference are surely going to be thrilling and exciting, but these are the four guys that we should watch to see if they make the difference for their teams chances of advancing.