Penultimate 2024 NBA Playoff picture ahead of final game day
The NBA Playoffs will soon be upon us after an exciting season of NBA basketball. On Sunday, teams around the league will play their final game of the season in what is sure to be an exciting day of action around the league. While the Eastern Conference playoff picture has taken shape, with the Boston Celtics sitting comfortably in first, the standings in both conferences are up in the air.
Heading into Sunday's action, it's the Western Conference race that seems to be drawing the most attention from fans. With three teams fighting for the first three seeds, and three teams competing for the eighth, ninth and tenth seeds, the stakes couldn't be higher.
In the case of the first seed, the OKC Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves are all jockeying for position. The ordering of these three teams will be determined by three games on Sunday: Phoenix vs. Minnesota, Denver vs. Memphis, and Dallas vs. OKC.
Depending on which teams win, there are several scenarios that could see either of the three teams take the first seed. When looking at the NBA playoff chart provided by NBA PR, it appears the Denver Nuggets have the worst odds of capturing the first seed.
In order for the Nuggets to capture the first seed, Phoenix would have to beat Minnesota, OKC would have to beat Dallas, and the Nuggets would have to beat the Grizzlies. Any other scenario would result in either the Timberwolves or the Thunder securing first place.
Looking at the various scenarios for the 6-7 Western Conference NBA Playoff seeds
In the case of the sixth and seventh seeds in the Western Conference, the NBA Playoff seedings will come down to two games on Sunday. The LA Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans game and the Phoenix Suns vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game will both decide how things shake out in the West.
The most likely scenario is that the Pelicans finish in sixth place, however, if the Lakers defeat them in New Orleans, and the Suns defeat the Timberwolves, Phoenix could capture the sixth seed.
Looking at the various scenarios for the 8-10 Western Conference NBA Playoff seeds
The play-in race in the Western Conference has continued to be a hot topic in the NBA community. With the LA Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings all vying for better positioning in the play-in tournament.
The ordering of the eight, nine and 10 seeds will come down to the Utah vs. Golden State game, the Portland vs. Sacramento game, and the LA vs. New Orleans game.
The most likely scenario seems to be that the LA Lakers will take the eighth seed, with the Golden State Warriors finishing in 10th. However, the Warriors could finish in eighth should they beat Utah, Portland beat Sacramento, and the Pelicans beat the Lakers.
With all seeds aside from the fourth and fifth seeds up for grabs, the stakes couldn't be higher heading into Sunday's action.