How the West looks heading into the weekend.
Things are heating up in the Western Conference standings, in a big way. We’re only a month away from the end of the NBA’s regular season, and there’s still no clarity in the standings. Thankfully, the Golden State Warriors keep chugging along. They won both of their games this week, gliding by the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, and then dominating the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. They’ve won a season-best six games in a row, and they’ve needed all of them to stick in their spot as the sixth seed, which is the final postseason position that avoids the play-in tournament.
Remarkably, the Dubs are only four games out of the second seed. Though with four teams to leapfrog, and just 16 games left on the schedule, that seems like a little bit of a pipe dream. Speaking of pipe dreams, Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns are not just two-and-a-half games out of the play-in tournament, but a whopping eight games behind the Warriors in the standings. It’s time to remove them from this exercise.
So here are the teams the Warriors are battling in the standings, with a look at how they did this week, and what’s on tap for the weekend.
No. 10 — Dallas Mavericks (33-34)
The Warriors aren’t worried about the Mavericks at all, but I’m keeping them in this exercise for at least one more week, while they remain five-and-a-half games back. Klay Thompson’s squad is without both Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, and the only question left is whether they can hang onto their spot in the play-in tournament. They played the Spurs twice this week, and split the games. Monday’s victory is their only win in seven games this month.
Next games up: Friday at the Rockets, Sunday vs. the 76ers
No. 9 — Sacramento Kings (33-32)
The Warriors and Kings were very evenly matched for much of this season. But after Sacramento traded away De’Aaron Fox, and Golden State acquired Jimmy Butler III, there was reason to think some separation would occur. And the Dubs have made that separation emphatic. They’ve faced each other twice since the All-Star break, once on each team’s court: the Warriors won on the road by 24 points, and at home by 26. That, plus a four-and-a-half game gap between the teams in the standings, makes it abundantly clear which team is better now. In addition to their loss to the Warriors on Thursday, the Kings were blown out by the Knicks on Monday, giving them a three-game losing streak. This might be the last time they occur in this column.
Next games up: Friday at the Suns
No. 8 — LA Clippers (36-30)
It feels like the Clippers are destined to end the year with the eighth seed, but we certainly can’t count them out just yet. They still employ James Harden and Kawhi Leonard (who has returned to the lineup), and they’re only two games behind the Dubs, and have clinched that tiebreaker. LA split their games this week, surprisingly losing to the Pelicans before beating the Heat on the road. They have an easy weekend schedule ahead, but then things get brutal for the Clippers.
Next games up: Friday at the Hawks, Sunday vs. the Hornets
No. 7 — Minnesota Timberwolves (38-29)
It sure seems like the Warriors should have run away with the sixth seed by now, but the Wolves simply refuse to go away, nearly matching the Dubs win for win. As a result, they’re just a half-game behind Golden State, though the Warriors have clinched the tiebreaker. Minnesota only played once this week, but it was a damn impressive game, as they went on the road to beat the Nuggets by 20 points on Wednesday, pushing their win streak to six games. The Warriors need to watch their back, especially since the Timberwolves play seven of their next eight games at home.
Next games up: Friday vs. the Magic, Sunday vs. the Jazz
No. 5 — Houston Rockets (41-25)
The Rockets are holding pace after their cold streak, as they’ve stayed three games ahead of the Warriors, though the Dubs have the tiebreaker. Houston beat the Mavericks on Monday and the Suns on Wednesday, pushing their winning streak to four games. They’re in good position to add to that this weekend, so Golden State has a lot of work to do to catch up.
Next games up: Friday vs. the Mavericks, Saturday vs. the Bulls
No. 4 — Los Angeles Lakers (40-24)
After acquiring Luka Dončić and catching fire, the Lakers looked like a lock to be the second seed. Now, the Warriors can at least turn one eye towards catching their SoCal rivals. The Lakers have stumbled since LeBron James’ injury, and it was a rough week for them, with a Monday loss to the Nets and a Thursday blowout against the Bucks, which gave them a three-game losing streak. They’re still three games ahead of the Warriors and own the tiebreaker, so it’s unlikely that the Dubs can catch up. But if James’ injury lingers, the Lakeshow could keep sliding down the standings.
Next games up: Friday at the Nuggets, Sunday vs. the Suns
As for the Warriors, who have won 13 out of 14 games when Butler plays, they have just one game this weekend, hosting the Knicks on Saturday. It’s a big game for them, not just to test themselves against a very good team, but to hold strong in the standings now that the teams around them have mostly found a good rhythm.
Here are the full standings in the Western Conference:
ESPN