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As the NBA regular season enters the final stage, the teams have launched the final impact, and the ranking competition for the Western teams has entered a white-hot state, with the Suns beating the Pelicans 124-111, the ranking and playoff situation of the Western teams have undergone new changes.
Playoff teams: Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Clippers, Mavericks, Pelicans
Play-in teams: Suns, Kings, Lakers, Warriors
Teams outside the play-in tournament: Rockets, Jazz, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Spurs
1. Group 1 (Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves)
The three teams of Thunder, Nuggets and Timberwolves firmly occupy the first group in the West, and they have already opened up the gap with the fourth-place Clippers, and their battle for the first place in the West is very fierce, with the Thunder leading the Nuggets 0.5 wins and the Nuggets leading the Timberwolves 0.5 wins. Although they are in the first group in the West, the Lakers and Warriors may enter the playoffs as the eighth in the West, and these three teams should not want to meet the Lakers or the Warriors in the first round, and they will always pay attention to the ranking changes of the teams in the bottom half of the West, and may also deliberately lose to avoid the top of the list, and will also pick opponents in the first round.
2. Group 2 (Clippers, Mavericks, Pelicans)
The Mavericks, who have won seven in a row, have overtaken the Pelicans to move up to fifth place in the West, and with the Pelicans losing to the Suns today, the Mavericks' fifth place in the West is even more secure. The Mavericks are still two wins away from the fourth-place Clippers, and the Clippers have won three in a row, and the team is gradually getting on the right track. It will be a bit difficult for the Mavericks to squeeze the Clippers out of the top half of the West, but if the Mavericks and Clippers meet in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers' weak guard line defense will be difficult to limit the impact of the Eastern European pair, and the Mavericks have more hope of reaching the second round.
The Pelicans suffered two consecutive defeats after losing to the Suns, and the Pelicans, who are missing core player Ingram, have to play against the Suns, Kings, Lakers, Warriors and other teams in the remaining schedule, and they are currently only one win ahead of the Suns, and it is the Pelicans' current goal to defend sixth in the West to avoid falling into the play-in area.
3. Group 3 (Suns, Kings, Lakers)
After the Suns defeated the Pelicans, they regained the Kings and moved up to seventh in the West. It is just one win behind the Pelicans in sixth, 0.5 wins ahead of the Kings in eighth and two wins ahead of the Lakers in ninth. The Suns have a difficult remaining schedule, and if they want to regain the sixth place, they need to overcome strong opponents on their own, and they also need the Pelicans to give them a chance to continue their losing streak. The Suns' current goal should be to hold on to the top half of the play-in tournament (7-8). The Kings Monk is out due to injury, and the remaining schedule is difficult, the Lakers have a great opportunity to hit the eighth, and the Lakers' goal is to sit nine and fight eight.
4. Fourth Group (Warriors, Rockets)
With the Warriors' victory over the Spurs to achieve four consecutive wins, the Rockets' elevent-game winning streak against the Mavericks was ended, and the battle for the tenth place between the Rockets and the Warriors was basically settled. Although the Rockets have been strong recently, and even won 11 consecutive wins, the remaining schedule of the Rockets is difficult, and it should still be difficult for them to enter the play-offs this season against strong teams such as the Timberwolves, Mavericks, Heat, Warriors, and Clippers, but the young Rockets players have begun to realize their talents, and the future of the Rockets is promising. The Warriors are 1.5 wins behind the ninth-place Lakers, the Lakers have been stable recently, and it is difficult for the Warriors to overtake the Lakers to rise to ninth again, and they will most likely enter the play-in competition with the tenth place in the West.
5. Group 5 (Jazz, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Spurs)
These four teams have completely missed the playoffs and play-offs this season, and will have to wait until next season to make a comeback. Grizzlies Morant will return next season, Spurs Wembanyama will be more mature and strong next season, and the West may be more competitive next season.