NBA playoff predictions: Who will win the big seeding races?

What will happen in the key NBA standings races in the final weeks of the regular season? What are the biggest storylines and teams to watch?

We polled the ESPN Forecast panel of experts -- including NBA writers, editors and analysts -- for their predictions now that we are two-thirds of the way through the 2020-21 NBA season. The topics include the likely No. 1 seeds in each conference, the most likely guaranteed playoff teams and the franchises that will miss the play-in on their way to the lottery.

As a reminder: The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots, while teams Nos. 7-10 in the standings will enter the play-in. Any team that finishes worse…