8th seed watch: Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers still fighting to stay alive.

The scenarios that can play out are as follows.

If the Lakers defeat the Houston Rockets at home on Wednesday, they will automatically step into the seventh seed of the Western Conference bracket.

If the Lakers lose and the Utah Jazz is defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, then the Lakers fall to the eighth seed of the bracket.

If the Jazz win and the Lakers lose, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol will be available for the rest of the spring to help Kobe Bryant rehab his Achilles injury.

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni told ESPN that he likes his team’s chances .

“It’s come down to it’s in our hands and that’s kind of what we’ve been playing for and we’ve wanted, so here it is,”  D’Antoni said after practice Tuesday. “Let’s go out and get it and take care of our own destiny.”

“My thoughts are, seventh and eighth I feel good,” D’Antoni said. “Out, I feel bad.”

D’Antoni will definitely feel bad.

If the Lakers drop the ball, the rumors will fly fast and furious about a one and done season for him in the City of Angels.

The Lakers will have to get it done without point guard Steve Nash who is out with hip, hamstring and back issues.

Meanwhile over in Memphis, The Jazz prepare to make a final stand to make their regular season mean something.

“I guess I need to try to get in touch with Kevin McHale and tell him to handle that for me. Give me a late birthday present,” Jazz veteran Al Jefferson told the Salt Lake Tribune. 

McHale coached Jefferson when the pair were in Minnesota.

Prediction:  The Jazz will play hyper-motivated and get it done in Memphis. The Rockets will do so as well. A loss to the Lakers would send them directly to the eigth seed and a non-enviable date with the Oklahoma City Thunder.