NBA Playoffs, Western Conference Chaos

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.