The drama is especially thick in the Western Conference as four teams sitting between fifth and eighth place in the standings all have 38 losses entering the final week of play. The No. 5 Clippers (41-38) and No. 6 Warriors (41-38) hold a half-game lead over the No. 7 Lakers (40-38) and No. 8 Pelicans (40-38).
The Lakers (winners of six of their last seven games) and Pelicans (winners of seven of their last eight games) have both gotten hot at the right time as they have not only put themselves in a strong standing for the top two spots in the Play-In Tournament — they both have a two-game advantage in the loss column on No. 9 Minnesota and a three-game advantage over No. 10 OKC – but also are in position to challenge the Clippers and Warriors and rise out of the Play-In and into a guaranteed playoff berth.
Tiebreaker Cheat Sheet:
No. 5 LA Clippers (41-38)
- Head-to-Head: 2-2 vs. Golden State; 3-0 vs. L.A. Lakers; 0-3 vs. New Orleans; 1-2 vs. Minnesota; 1-3 vs. OKC
- Division Win%: 7-7 (.500), 2 games left
- Conference Win%: 24-25 (.489), 3 games left
- Remaining Schedule: Wednesday vs. L.A. Lakers; Saturday vs. Portland, Sunday at Phoenix
No. 6 Golden State Warriors (41-38)
- Head-to-Head: 2-2 vs LA Clippers; 1-3 vs. L.A. Lakers; 2-2 vs. New Orleans; 2-2 vs. Minnesota; 2-1 (1H) vs. OKC
- Division Win%: 6-9 (.400), 1 game left
- Conference Win%: 27-22 (.551), 3 games left
- Remaining Schedule: Tuesday vs. OKC; Friday at Sacramento; Sunday at Portland
No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers (40-38)
- Head-to-Head: 0-3 vs LA Clippers; 3-1 vs. Golden State; 3-1 vs. New Orleans; 1-2 vs. Minnesota; 2-1 vs. OKC
- Division Win%: 5-9 (.357), 2 games left
- Conference Win%: 24-24 (.500), 4 games left
- Remaining Schedule: Tuesday at Utah, Wednesday at LA Clippers, Friday vs. Phoenix, Sunday vs. Utah
No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans (40-38)
- Head-to-Head: 3-0 vs LA Clippers; 2-2 vs. Golden State; 1-3 vs. LA Lakers; 1-1 (1A) vs. Minnesota; 3-1 vs. OKC
- Division Win%: 10-5 (.667), 1 game left
- Conference Win%: 28-21 (.571), 3 games left
- Remaining Schedule: Tuesday vs. Sacramento; Wednesday vs. Memphis; Friday vs. New York; Sunday at Minnesota
With only a half game separating these four teams and head-to-head tiebreakers all over the place, expect these standings to shake up at a moment’s notice over the final week of the regular season.
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