After 81 games and a lengthy campaign, the NBA playoff race goes down to the final day of the regular season, with huge seeding implications in the Western Conference.
While the Eastern Conference is locked in, along with the top four on the other side of the country, there are big questions hanging over champions Golden State, both Los Angeles teams, New Orleans and Minnesota.
Only two can avoid the play-in games and one will have to win twice just to make a proper playoff series – meaning the stakes on Monday morning (all times AEST) are high.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Play-in games
Tuesday April 11: No.8 ??? at No.7 ??? (winner gets No.7 seed)
Wednesday April 12: No.10 Oklahoma City at No.9 ???
Friday April 14: Oklahoma City/??? winner at ???/??? loser (winner gets No.8 seed)
Round 1 match-ups
No.1 Denver vs No.8 (winner of [Oklahoma City at ??? winner] at [??? at ??? loser])
No.2 Memphis vs No.7 (??? at ??? winner)
No.3 Sacramento vs No.6 ???
No.4 Phoenix vs No.5 ???
Playoffs begin Saturday April 15
SEEDING SCENARIOS
Standings as of Sunday April 9 5pm
No.5 LA Clippers (43-38)
Remaining game: at Phoenix, 5:30am
WIN: Finish No.5
LOSE: Finish No.5 or 6 or 7 (want Warriors/Pelicans to lose)
No.6 Golden State Warriors (43-38)
Remaining game: at Portland, 5:30am
WIN: Finish No.5 if Clippers lose; No.6 if Clippers win
LOSE: Finish No.6 or 7 or 8 (would lose tiebreakers with Clippers/Lakers/Pelicans)
No.7 Los Angeles Lakers (42-39)
Remaining game: vs Utah, 5:30am
WIN: Finish No.6 or 7 or 8 (latter only if Pelicans/Warriors/Suns win)
LOSE: Finish No.8
No.8 New Orleans Pelicans (42-39)
Remaining game: at Minnesota, 5:30am
WIN: Finish No.5, 6, 7 or 8 (former if Warriors/Clippers lose, latter if Lakers/Warriors/Clippers win)
LOSE: Finish No.9
No.9 Minnesota Timberwolves (41-40)
Remaining game: vs New Orleans, 5:30am
WIN: Finish No.7 (if Lakers lose) or No.8 (if Lakers win)
LOSE: Finish No.9
The main talking points…
– The Clippers are in the box seat, with a win over Phoenix ensuring they’ll play Kevin Durant’s side again in the 4-5 series;
– The Warriors, assuming they beat the tanking Trail Blazers, would finish fifth if the Clippers slip up;
– The Lakers’ best-case scenario of sixth requires the Warriors to lose, and ideally the Pelicans too;
– Pelicans at Timberwolves is a virtual playoff game, with the loser to host the Thunder in the 9-10 play-in game, and the winner likely to play in the 7-8 game, though the Pelicans could still reach as high as fifth.
MONDAY’S GAMES
From 3am
Atlanta at Boston (live on ESPN/Kayo)
Philadelphia at Brooklyn
Charlotte at Cleveland
Orlando at Miami
Indiana at New York
Milwaukee at Toronto
Houston at Washington
Detroit at Chicago
From 5:30am
San Antonio at Dallas
New Orleans at Minnesota
Memphis at Oklahoma City
Sacramento at Denver
Utah at Los Angeles Lakers (live on ESPN/Kayo)
Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix
Golden State at Portland
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