The final weekend of the NBA common season has arrived, however the picture of the western convention qualifiers stays as troubled because it has virtually all season.
The entire league ought to play on Sunday afternoon, and the Nuggets has nonetheless not but gained a top-top-top seed Whereas the 15 Western groups are making ready to modify their finals concurrently at 1:30 p.m. Mt.
When mud units in, Denver might be 4 factors within the rating – Together with a recreation match situation.
Here’s a information of every seeding situation and any clashes of the playoffs within the first spherical.
Related nuggets video games for the playoffs
• Nuggets at Rockets, 1:30 p.m. • Clippers at Warriors, 1:30 p.m. • Jazz in Timberwolves, 1:30 p.m.
There are eight attainable combos of leads to these three video games. 5 combos translate into the nuggets going through the mower within the first spherical.
However within the different three combos, Denver might be matching with the Timberwolves, the Lakers, the Rockets or the Thunder in a sequence.
The nuggets are seed n ° 4 if …
That is the straightforward half. If the nuggets win in Houston, they’re locked up on the head No. 4 no matter occurs elsewhere, by profitable the benefit of the court docket at dwelling within the first spherical of the playoffs.
The opposite video games would merely decide the opponent. Listed below are the attainable outcomes.
• Win Nuggets + Clippers Win or Nuggets Win + Warriors Win + Timberwolves Loss = Nuggets (4) in opposition to Clippers (5)
• Nuggets Win + Warriors Win + Timberwolves Win = Nuggets (4) in opposition to Timberwolves (5)
The nuggets are seed n ° 5 if …
There’s a situation during which the Nuggets are at all times confronted with the Clippers, however as a visiting group of the sequence. This is able to suggest an unlikely end in one other match, however the Minnesota Star Gard, Anthony Edwards, was suspended for this match after having resumed his 18th technical fault of the season on Friday.
• Lack of nuggets + Timberwolves Loss = Nuggets (5) vs Clippers (4)
The nuggets are seed n ° 6 if …
It needs to be famous that the rockets are inspired to relaxation their essential gamers on Sunday and to keep away from doubtlessly dangerous harm, as a result of they’ve already gained the seed n ° 2. Houston can not go up or down within the classification. In principle, this could assist Denver’s possibilities of profitable a victory and the seeded n ° 4.
Once more, the Nuggets visited Houston with out their very own famous person final month and gained digital drawback. Morality of historical past: all the pieces is feasible within the NBA. And because of this every situation have to be offered, together with the one the place Luka Doncic and LeBron James enter the picture.
• Nuggets Loss + Clippers Win + Timberwolves Win = Nuggets (6) in opposition to Lakers (3)
Nuggets may nonetheless finish technically with the identical report because the Lakers, however Los Angeles would achieve a break in equality for 2 or three. Nobody can catch the Lakers anymore for third place.
Nuggets falls to the sport match as a seeded n ° 7 if…
This is the reason the Nuggets can not formally declare to have but gained a spot within the playoffs. There’s a situation that landed them within the recreation match through an equality break at 4, and as soon as you’re within the recreation match, you’re a sequence of two consecutive losses of elimination with out sequence.
• Nuggets Loss + Warriors Win + Timberwolves Win = Nuggets (7) in opposition to Grizzlies (8) Distinctive recreation; Winner vs rockets (2)
If this occurs, the Nuggets, the Clippers, the Warriors and the Wolves will all end with 49 victories. Denver would sink into the hierarchical order due to its 0-4 report in opposition to Minnesota this season. The Timberwolves cease the seeded n ° 4 and performed mowers n ° 5 on this end result. Golden State can be No. 6.
If the nuggets fall to the sport match after which lose at dwelling in opposition to Memphis, they welcome Sacramento or Dallas in an elimination recreation. The winner would qualify for the playoffs as a seeded n ° 8 to face Oklahoma Metropolis.
NBA Cup planning has given Nuggets a break in equality
On the calendar of the unique NBA which was unveiled in August, the Nuggets and the Clippers needed to play three video games in opposition to one another – two of them in Denver, one in Los Angeles.
The Nuggets misplaced the primary two conferences, apparently profitable a break in hypothetical equality for the Clippers. However the league launched a twist of the plot.
When the groups are eradicated from the NBA season match earlier than the direct elimination scene, they’re awarded new video games scheduled for different eradicated groups. This occurred to the Nuggets. One of many new matches added to his schedule: on December 13, 2024, in opposition to the Clippers in Ball Area.
Not solely did Denver all of the sudden have two video games enjoying the season sequence as an alternative of 1, however because of the good NBA programming, three of the 4 conferences had been to be performed in Denver, moderately than a two -game cut up in every metropolis.
The Nuggets gained in Ball Area on December 13, and so they gained the Ball Area once more on January 8. The tie equality damaged was rendered by the cut up 2-2. The subsequent relevant equality break: report in opposition to the Western Convention. Denver has the sting there with a snug margin.
And because of this, if the Nuggets and the Clippers are profitable each on Sunday to complete in a fourth place, the match 1 between the groups will probably be performed in Denver, not in Los Angeles. Stan Kroenke owes the NBA a word of thanks.
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