This is what Jokic and the Nuggets need to avoid the NBA Play-in? All possible outcomes
On the final day of the NBA regular season, the Denver Nuggets are sitting at No. 4 in the West but have a plethora of possibilities for the playoffs.
Today is the final day of the NBA regular season and the results of this weekend’s games have set up a chaotic scenario in the West, as there are still so many different possibilities. And all 15 Western Conference teams will tip off at the same time, 3:30 p.m . ET.
The Denver Nuggets are currently sitting at No. 4, but they still haven’t clinched a top six seed to make it into the playoffs. As things stand now, they could potentially face five different teams. Let’s take a look at their possible scenarios.
Denver Nuggets: Playoff scenarios and how they can avoid the Play-In
Here’s how things stand in the West right now:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (locked in)
- Houston Rockets (locked in)
- Los Angeles Lakers (locked in)
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Golden State Warriors
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Memphis Grizzlies (locked in)
- Sacramento Kings (locked in)
- Dallas Mavericks (locked in)
The Nuggets are one of four teams fighting to stay in the top six and out of the Play-In Tournament. They face the Rockets today, and have the chance to fall anywhere between the fourth and seventh seed depending on the outcome of their game, as well as the Clippers vs Warriors and Jazz vs Timberwolves games. Let’s take a look.
How the Nuggets can clinch the No. 4 seed
If the Nuggets beat the Rockets, they will clinch the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The other games would then determine their opponent.
Potential opponents if Nuggets win:
- Clippers: If Clippers win, Warriors win, and Timberwolves lose
- Timberwolves: If Warriors win and Timberwolves win
How the Nuggets can clinch the No. 5 seed
If the Nuggets lose to the Rockets and the Timberwolves also lose, the Nuggets would clinch the No. 5 seed and would face the Clippers, but as the visiting team.
How the Nuggets can clinch the No. 6 seed
If the Nuggets lose, and the Clippers and Timberwolves both win, the Nuggets would clinch the No. 6 seed and would face the Lakers, who are locked in at No. 3.
How the Nuggets can fall to the Play-In Tournament at No. 7
There is just one scenario that would lead the Nuggets to the Play-In Tournament via a four-way tiebreaker. If the Nuggets lose, and the Warriors and Timberwolves win, the Nuggets would fall to No. 7 and face the Grizzlies, who are locked in at No. 8 in the Play-In Tournament. The winner of that game would then face the No. 2 Rockets in the playoffs. The loser would host either the Mavericks or Kings in an elimination game, and the winner of that game would face the No. 1 Thunder in the playoffs.
Why this would happen this way: If the Nuggets lose and the Warriors and Timberwolves win, it would send the Nuggets to the bottom due to their 0-4 record against the Timberwolves, who would then lock in to the No. 4 seed to play the No. 5 seed, which would be the Clippers in this case, while the Warriors would be No. 6.
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