We've made it to the final straightaway of the NBA's 2023-24 season, and the Western Conference's likely play-in teams have to be feeling the heat of a Houston Rockets' winning streak that reached nine games on Monday night.

They're suddenly within a half game of the Golden State Warriors for 10th place and the West's last spot in the play-in, but they're not the only reason for panic for the rest of the likely participants.

Teams that finish ninth or 10th have to win two games to get into the postseason. That can be a source of some concern. Anyone that might have to face LeBron James or Stephen Curry in a one-and-done situation would surely be feeling some nerves.

Whatever the reason, it's time to fire up the panic meter for all eight of the likely play-in teams.

But first, a word on what "likely" means here.

Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report is "based on 10,000 simulations of the remainder of season," and it gives four teams from each conference a 60-plus percent chance to finish anywhere from seventh through 10th.*

By that criteria, the only real close calls are the Dallas Mavericks (56.0 percent) and Indiana Pacers (53.5). The Rockets don't make the cut, either, but their surge should be the source of panic for some, so you'll see them mentioned on other teams' slides.

*Simulations current heading into games played on Monday, March 25.

Atlanta Hawks

Panic Meter: Low

Even with Monday's miraculous comeback win over the Boston Celtics, the Atlanta Hawks are pretty much locked into 10th place.

They have a five-and-a-half game cushion over the 11th-place Brooklyn Nets, who have been an absolute mess for months. They're not going to miss the play-in.

The only real drama at this point is on the Chicago Bulls, who are suddenly on a three-game losing streak. If they keep struggling, Atlanta could sneak up to ninth, but that'd be gravy.

If they finish 10th and win a pair of road games, gravy.

If Trae Young is back and playing well in time for those two (potential) games, more gravy.

It's the product of mediocrity throughout the season and the fact that they get to enjoy being in the Eastern Conference, but as far as likely play-in teams go, Atlanta's current position is about as close to stress-free as it can get.

Chicago Bulls

Panic Meter: Medium

As mentioned in the Hawks slide, Chicago has dropped its last three games. If the dream of escaping the bottom half of the play-in wasn't already dead, it probably is now. There are five-and-a-half games between the Bulls and eighth place.

The absence of that pursuit maybe relieves a little pressure, but the needle is still moving on the panic meter because Chicago has put itself in danger of being passed by the Hawks.

And while there isn't a significant difference between the Bulls' home (.486) and road winning percentages (.457), just about everyone would prefer to play an elimination game at their home arena.

DeMar DeRozan could get hot enough to beat the Hawks and whoever's left standing between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have made this backcourt a lot more interesting in recent weeks.

But Chicago surely doesn't want to make that road to a playoff spot any trickier than it already is.

Golden State Warriors

Panic Meter: High

On Sunday, when asked about Houston's winning streak, Draymond Green told reporters: "I don't give a damn about the Rockets."

Well, sure. Draymond, specifically, may be less likely than any other Warrior to say he's scared of losing his playoff spot. But organizationally, the needle on the panic meter has to be bouncing off the edge.

Golden State is 3-6 in its last nine. Its next four games are on the road (though two are against the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs). And the only game it has left against the Rockets is in Houston (April 4).

The Warriors still have one of the most dangerous single-game players in the NBA in Stephen Curry. On some nights, when Jonathan Kuminga, Klay Thompson or some other teammate is rolling, it starts to get tempting to believe in this team's contending upside again.

But stretches like the one they're in now have, frankly, been far too common to go with anything but "high" for this slide.

Los Angeles Lakers

Panic Meter: High

With the Warriors' slide and the fact they're 5-2 in their last seven, we could probably justify a "medium" here, but this is the Los Angeles Lakers. Expectations are always high, but that was especially true of this year's team. It's coming off a conference finals appearance in 2023.

Eight months later, despite decent continuity and healthier-than-normal seasons from LeBron and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are in very real danger of missing the playoffs altogether.

The chances of them moving up to eighth are slim, and that means having to win back-to-back road games to get the eighth seed. And in the West, those games could be against Curry or the red-hot Rockets, followed by Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker or Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox.

Having two stars like Davis and LeBron is a good source of confidence, but the West is a gauntlet. It's why L.A. is in the spot it's in now. And it could send the biggest name in the game home before the postseason.

Miami Heat

Panic Meter: Low

The projection system still gives the Miami Heat about as good a shot at the top six as it does seventh or eighth. That alone puts them pretty low on the panic meter.

But even if the Heat do end up in the play-in, a couple factors make it easy to, well, breathe easy.

First, they're in the Eastern Conference. If the first play-in game includes a recently-back-from-injury Joel Embiid, the concern level will certainly ratchet up. But even if they lose that opening contest, they'd get another home game against the sub-.500 Bulls or Hawks to get in.

For a team that made the conference finals from the play-in just last season, those feel like decent odds to at least get a playoff spot.

More important than that, though, is the fact that Jimmy Butler is still on this roster. And Playoff Jimmy Butler is a very real thing.

In a win-or-you're-out situation, he's made it pretty tough to pick against him. During his four postseasons with the Heat, he has averaged 24.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals, but that doesn't begin to do his impact justice.

Butler can imprint his will on a series in a way few others ever have, so he can certainly swing one (or two) play-in games.

Philadelphia 76ers

Panic Meter: Low

There's a temptation to bump this one up to "medium," simply because we've yet to get any kind of real timeline from the Philadelphia 76ers for Embiid's return date.

If he's not back or is some diminished version of himself, there's a real chance the Sixers could miss the playoffs. But there's plenty of buzz that he'll make his return in time for the play-in.

Philadelphia is plus-10.3 points per 100 possessions when Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are both on the floor, and if the former is back, Philadelphia should be able to win one game in two chances against a field that includes the Bulls and Hawks.

And as if that wasn't enough reason for the panic meter to barely register, the 76ers are still very much in the hunt for a top-six finish.

Phoenix Suns

Panic Meter: Medium

The Phoenix Suns are in pretty good shape to maintain their spot in the top half of the play-in. There's still a far-from-remote chance they move into the top six and dodge the play-in entirely.

Assuming they finish seventh or eighth, though, there should be more than enough high-end talent to secure a playoff spot. Phoenix is plus-7.7 points per 100 possessions when Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are all on the floor.

However, even the two-to-win-one scenario has the potential to end in heartbreak, and it comes with a little added pressure for the Suns.

They were just in the Finals in 2021, and the only player left from that roster is Booker. The number of players and assets they've surrendered since then to get this team is staggering.

Phoenix went more than all-in to get Durant and Beal. And given their age and health histories, the window opened by their acquisitions isn't likely to stay open long. Missing the playoffs in the first year with this big three would be a borderline disaster.

Sacramento Kings

Panic Meter: Medium

Of all the teams detailed here, the Sacramento Kings have the best chance to finish in the top six at 36.9 percent. That might suggest the panic meter should merely be humming.

But if the Warriors are able to hold off the Rockets, the Kings will be in a Western Conference play-in field that could include the Stephen Curry and several 2022 champions; LeBron and AD, who won the title together in 2020; and the Suns' trio of Durant, Booker and Beal.

All three of those teams have more playoff experience than Sacramento. Even if Dallas winds up sliding into Phoenix's spot, it would be hard to pick Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox over Luka and Kyrie.

Fair or not, the Kings may still be haunted by the stigma developed by the organization over the many years of losing that preceded this era.

Again, though, they could still finish in the top six, and there's little to no chance they fall to ninth or 10th. Sacramento will almost certainly get two chances to win one game and make the playoffs.