On April 12, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. In today's Western Conference matchup, the Pelicans beat the Kings on the road. The Pelicans remain in 6th place in the West, and the Suns remain in 7th place.
As a result, the Suns are already at a disadvantage in the race for the last Western Conference direct playoff qualification. The Pelicans have a 48-32 record and the Suns have a 47-33 record. It should be noted that the Suns are 2 wins ahead of the Kings, who are 8th in the West, and if they can't qualify for the playoffs, the Suns are still very likely to hold on to 7th in the West.
And if the Suns want to qualify for the playoffs, they need to do two things:
1. The Suns win all, and the Pelicans lose at least one game, so that the Suns can overtake the Pelicans in terms of record, or rank ahead of the Pelicans by virtue of the win-loss relationship in the case of the same record.
2. The Suns win one game, and the Pelicans lose all. In this way, the Suns will be ahead of the Pelicans by virtue of their win-loss relationship.
Among them, there is an advantage that has become the key for the Suns to grasp, and that is the results of each other. The Suns are arguably the nemesis of the Pelicans, who only beat the Suns once earlier this month. And Booker, the star of the Suns, can be called the killer of the Pelicans, he has previously faced the Pelicans three times in a row and scored 50+!
The schedule for the last three days of the two teams is as follows:
Pelicans - Warriors (away), Lakers (home);
Suns - Kings (away), Timberwolves (away).
Will the Suns be able to qualify for the playoffs?