THE NBA regular season is down to its final day with still a lot at stake in the Western Conference on Sunday (Monday early morning Manila time). Still to be determined are the three remaining spots in the playoffs – the No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 seeds – that are still being contested by the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Nuggets share fourth spot with the Clippers at 49-32, with the Warriors in a tie with the Timberwolves at sixth place on 48-33 records.
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Games with playoff implications will see Denver versus Houston, Utah versus Minnesota, and LA Clippers versus Golden State as the teams look to avoid the No. 7 and No. 8 spots, which will be relegated to the play-in tournament.
According to the official scenarios sent by the NBA, here is how the four teams need to do in order to make it to the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets
Denver will make it to the playoffs with a win over Houston OR a loss by either Golden State or Minnesota.
A win by Denver will move the Nuggets to 50-32 and will take the No. 4 spot regardless of the result of the match between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers, who have already secured the No. 3.
But a loss could even lead to Denver sliding to No. 7 depending on the results of the other games.
LA Clippers
The Clippers go to the playoffs with a win OR a loss by either Denver or Minnesota.
A Clippers win will move them up to 50-32 with still a chance at No. 4 and a homecourt advantage depending on the results of the other games.
Based on the scenarios, the Clippers can still go down to No. 7 with a loss, and on the results of the other matches so the clash against the Warriors is also a must-win.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors will advance to the playoffs with a win over the Clippers OR a loss by the Timberwolves.
GSW doesn’t want a defeat as it could go down to the play-in tournament especially with a Minnesota win.
The lowest the Warriors can drop is to No. 7.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have the easiest path to the playoffs as they only need to win over the lowly Jazz to secure a berth, and avoid a play-in.
Also with a win, Minnesota can even climb as high as No. 4 depending on the results of the other games.
A loss can even drop the Timberwolves to No. 8, according to the official scenarios.
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