Credit: X
After 81 games of the NBA regular season, the No. 1 seed race in the Western Conference is still not decided, with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets tied at 56-25 records respectively. With the final round of games to go, either the Thunder, the Timberwolves, or, the Nuggets, can finish on top of the Western Conference, but the scenarios aren’t quite as simple.
Malika Andrews, the NBA Today and NBA Countdown host, took to her official X account, to explain the possibilities surrounding the top three teams tied together in the race for the coveted No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. In the 82nd and final game of the NBA regular season on Sunday, April 13, the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Dallas Mavericks at the Paycom Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Phoenix Suns at the Target Center, and the Denver Nuggets are going to travel to the FedExForum to face the Memphis Grizzlies.
Notably, if the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets went on to win or lose their games, then they would finish the NBA regular season in that order, because of their head-to-head records.
If the Thunder and the Timberwolves win, but the Nuggets lose, then the Timberwolves will get the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. If the Thunder and the Nuggets win, but the Timberwolves lose, then the Thunder will finish in the top spot. If the Timberwolves and the Nuggets win, but the Thunder lose, then the Timberwolves will secure the No. 1 seed. Notably, all these three scenarios will have head-to-head records coming into play.
Also, for the Nuggets to go top, they need both the Timberwolves and the Thunder to lose, apart from their win.
Lakers, Kings, and Warriors battle for No. 8 seed in West
After defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 123-120, along with the nearest rivals the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors losing their games, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves in front in the battle for securing the No. 8 spot in the NBA Western Conference. With that, a win in the 82nd and the final regular season game against the New Orleans Pelicans will be enough for them.
If the Kings lose, the Lakers will move into the 8th spot. If LA beat the Pelicans on Sunday, it'll be Warriors vs Kings in the 9 vs 10 matchup (if Kings beat Blazers). If the Lakers lose, the Kings get the 8th seed with a win over the Trail Blazers. If the Lakers/Kings lose, the Warriors can still get the 8th seed with a win over Jazz. These are the scenarios for clinching the eighth and the final NBA Western Conference play-in spots, explained by the Athletic journalist Anthony Slater.
