A look ahead at the Clippers’ last six games

The Clippers have only six games remaining in the regular season before the playoffs begin. Here’s a look ahead at who they will face as they try to secure the best-possible playoff seeding.

The Clippers status: They are in fifth place in the Western Conference, half a game ahead of the sixth-place San Antonio Spurs and one game ahead of the fourth-place Portland Trail Blazers, who are guaranteed a top-four seed if they clinch their division, which they are on track to do. The Clippers are also 1 1/2 games behind the third-place Memphis Grizzlies and two games behind the second-place Houston Rockets. How’s that for a tight playoff race?

Here are their remaining opponents:

At Denver Nuggets on Saturday: The Nuggets are in 12th place in the Western Conference with a record of 28-47. The teams have split their games so far this season. When they played Dec. 19 in Denver, the Nuggets won, 109-106. When the teams played at Staples Center on Jan. 26, the Clippers won, 102-98. Home court matters a lot in this matchup, as Denver is notorious for being one of the hardest cities to play in because of the altitude.

At Lakers on Sunday: The 16-NBA championship Lakers are in second-to-last place in the Western Conference with a dismal record of 20-54. Of course, home court advantage doesn’t mean much with this matchup because the teams share the same stadium. The Clippers have won both of their games against the Lakers this season. When the teams played Oct. 31, the Clippers won, 118-111, and when they played Jan. 7, the Clippers won, 114-89.

Vs. Lakers on April 7: See above

Vs. Memphis Grizzlies on April 11: When these teams play, it’s usually an extremely competitive, chippy game. The Clippers beat the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs in 2012, then the Grizzlies eliminated the Clippers in the first round in 2013. The Grizzlies (51-24) have won two of their three games against the Clippers so far this season, winning in Memphis on Nov. 23, 107-91, and at Staples Center on Feb. 23, 90-87. The Clippers then beat the Grizzlies at Memphis on Feb. 27, 97-79.

Vs. Denver Nuggets on April 13: See above

At Phoenix Suns on April 14: The Suns (38-38) are in 10th place in the Western Conference, 4 1/2 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth and last playoff spot. The Clippers have won each of their three games against the Suns this season -- beating them, 121-120, on Dec. 8; 120-100, on Jan. 25; and 120-107 on Nov. 15.

Summary: In the Clippers’ remaining six games, they only play one team with a winning record in the Grizzlies. They definitely have a strong chance of improving their positioning, especially considering their strong level of play as of late. They’ve won eight of their last nine games, including most recently having a 19-point come-from-behind victory over the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday. It was their biggest comeback of the season.

Not a bad time to be rolling, that’s for sure.

Follow Melissa Rohlin on Twitter @melissarohlin