The tiebreaker between the Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets, Clippers, Wolves and Grizzlies explained: Who has the advantage?

It’s tight at the top! There’s a six-team logjam near the summit of the Western Conference, which means playoff seeding could come down to NBA tiebreaker rules.

The Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets, Clippers, Timberwolves and Grizzlies are all clustered in the standings, separated by just a few games in either direction. With less than a week to go in the regular season, these teams are not just playing for wins – they’re fighting for favorable matchups, home court, or to avoid the Play-In entirely.

And since the standings could finish with two or even three teams tied, understanding how the NBA sorts things out matters more than ever.

How NBA tiebreakers work

If you thought it was just head-to-head record, you’re only scratching the surface. Here’s the NBA’s official pecking order when two teams finish with the same record:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Division winner (if in same division)
3. Division record (if in same division)
4. Conference record
5. Record vs playoff teams in own conference
6. Record vs playoff teams in other conference
7. Point differential

‘But what if three of more teams are tied?‘, I hear you cry. Well, the NBA applies those same rules, but they get a little more messy. For example, if the Clippers, Nuggets, and Timberwolves finish tied, you’d start by looking at combined head-to-head records among those three. If that doesn’t sort them, you move down the list.

Importantly, once a team is separated in a multi-team tie, the process restarts for the remaining tied teams.

Who has the edge right now?

The answer to this question depends on how the standings finish, but based on current matchups at time of writing:

• Denver Nuggets: Strong conference record, 2–1 vs Clippers, split vs Wolves. They also have the head-to-head over the Lakers and Warriors, which could come in big.
• Minnesota Timberwolves: 3–1 vs the Clippers, but 1–2 vs the Nuggets and 2–2 vs the Lakers. Their conference record is solid, and they benefit from being a division leader.
• LA Clippers: Division title still in play, but shaky head-to-head records. They’ve split with the Lakers and are behind against the Nuggets and Wolves.
• Golden State Warriors: 0–3 vs Denver, 1–3 vs the Clippers, 1–3 vs Minnesota. Not great. They’ve won vs the Lakers and Grizzlies, but could lose most tie scenarios unless they climb outright.
• Los Angeles Lakers: Actually better in some three-way tiebreakers (e.g. vs Wolves and Warriors), but they’ve lost the season series to both the Nuggets and Clippers. They need help.
• Memphis Grizzlies: Mathematically still in it, but basically a long shot. Injuries and inconsistency have left them near the bottom of this mix.

I trust that all makes sense. My best advice though is to just keep following the coverage and it’ll all slam into place one way or another.

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