On April 6, Beijing time, today's NBA games have all ended, and the pattern of the West has also stabilized. After losing to the Heat, the Rockets have suffered four straight losses and exited the play-in race early, and the Thunder lost to the Pacers 112-126, suffering three straight defeats, and have little chance of winning the top spot in the West. The Kings lost by one point to the remnants of the Celtics, and the Mavericks defeated the Warriors 108-106 to get a gold-rich victory. And strong teams like the Clippers, Suns and other strong teams have also won the game, from the current point of view, the top 6 teams in the West are basically ashore, and the 4 play-off teams are also roughly determined, the Lakers and Warriors should avoid the fight, and it is only a matter of time before the Lakers rush into the top 8 in the West.
First, the West 6 team is basically ashore
There are already three teams in the West that have locked up the playoffs, namely the Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder, and the Timberwolves and Nuggets both have a 53-24 record and are competing for No. 1 place in the West. The Clippers beat the Jazz in today's game and previously beat the defending champion Nuggets, and are at their best, sitting in fourth place with 49 wins and 28 losses, and there is no suspense in entering the playoffs. The Mavericks are in 5th place, followed by the Suns, who are in 6th place with 46 wins and 31 losses, and these 6 teams have little suspense to go straight to the playoffs, and the Pelicans in 7th place are already 1 win behind the Suns, and have suffered a 4-game losing streak, and if they continue to lose, they will face the Warriors in the 10th place in the West in the play-offs.
However, with fewer regular season games in place, the situation in the West is also interesting, and the top 2 teams in the West will be worried as the Lakers and Warriors are likely to play in the playoffs, regardless of whether they end up in 7th or 8th place in the playoffs. Therefore, the Thunder has been losing during this time, perhaps it is also a strategy, after all, they are already a lot ahead of the Clippers in the fourth place in the West, even if they lose a few games, they will be ranked third, and they may play the Mavericks or the Suns in the first round of the playoffs, although the opponent is also very strong, but there is no need to face the Lakers or the Warriors, there is always a chance to advance to the semifinals.
Second, 4 teams may participate in the play-offs
Currently, the Pelicans, Kings, Lakers and Warriors are ranked 7th to 10th in the West, respectively, and these four teams should participate in the play-in tournament, but there will be some minor changes in the standings. The Pelicans suffered a 4-game losing streak, the Kings suffered a 2-game losing streak, the Lakers are just around the corner to break into the top 8 in the West, and have erased the gap with the Kings, as long as they win the next game, the Lakers will officially become 8th in the West, and it is likely to end up in 7th. The Lakers' opponents in the next five games are the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Warriors, Grizzlies, and Pelicans.
According to the current state of the Lakers, they can win all of them, and the whole league has no chance of winning except for playing the Nuggets, and they are basically five or five against other teams. The Pelicans' schedule is more difficult, and they will play the Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, Warriors and Lakers next, in addition to winning the Trail Blazers, the other 4 games are likely to lose, so the Pelicans may end up in 9th place, so they will play against the Warriors in the play-offs. The Kings face the Nets, Thunder, Pelicans, Suns, and Trail Blazers, and if they can beat the Pelicans, the Kings are likely to finish in 8th place.
Third, the Lakers and Warriors are likely to avoid fighting
A few months ago, the outside world was expecting the Lakers and Warriors to meet in the playoffs, and now the Lakers are going to miss the contract. The Lakers have a record of 44 wins and 33 losses, the same as the Kings in the 8th place in the West, 1 win behind the Pelicans in the 7th place in the West, the Lakers will play the Pelicans next, as long as they win, they can be ranked 7th in the West, and the Lakers' schedule is not very difficult, and there is a high probability that they can win at least 4 of the next 5 games, and it is very likely to be 7th or 8th in the West.
The Warriors are firmly in 10th place in the West with 42 wins and 35 losses, and the standings will basically not change, and they are still two wins behind the Lakers. For the Warriors, it is also a good thing for the Lakers to be in the top 8 in the West, so that it will be easier for both the Pelicans and the Kings, but the Warriors need to play two games in a row and only win two consecutive play-off games to advance. So there is a possibility that the Lakers will eventually win the play-offs and enter the playoffs as 7th in the West, while the Warriors will beat the Pelicans and Kings and enter the playoffs as 8th in the West.