There only two games left in the regular season, and the intensity of the Western Conference playoff race has reached its apex.
However, out of the five teams left fighting for the four-through-eight seeds in the Western Conference, The Los Angeles Clippers are in one of the best positions.
Following the Clippers’ sixth win in a row on Wednesday night versus the Rockets while the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves have both suffered recent losses, Los Angeles has now climbed to the fifth seed in the West, with an identical record to the Denver Nuggets, who they’ve split their season series with, 2-2.
If the Clippers win on the road and beat the Sacramento Kings on Friday and Golden State in their final regular season game on Sunday, the worst seed that they can get is fifth in the West.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said Norman Powell would be “Alright after [Wednesday]” after missing the game against Houston with a shoulder injury, so the Clippers should be fully healthy going into their final stretch of his games. Given the momentum that Los Angeles has been riding in the past month, securing these two road teams is certainly doable, but it won’t be easy.
Both the Kings and Warriors have notably explosive offenses, and since they’re both playing at home, Los Angeles will have the lofty task of preventing potential game-altering runs that often come easy to hungry home teams in must-win games for everyone involved. They’ll have to contain both Sacramento’s big three of Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and Demar DeRozan; and a Stephen Curry-led Warriors team that’s gone 22-6 since acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline.
To overtake Denver, the Clippers need to win those aforementioned games alongside some outside help. Since the Clippers are unlikely to win the Pacific Division, they’re likely to lose their tiebreaker to Denver, as the Nuggets have a better overall record against the West. They’ll need to win against the Kings and Warriors, and they’ll also likely need Denver to lose one of their two final games against either the Rockets or the Grizzlies.
However, given the fact that Houston has locked up the second seed in the West and effectively has nothing to play for, Los Angeles is likely banking on Memphis to give it what it needs to propel it into the fourth seed.
Denver is fresh off of a statement win on the road against Sacramento, but they’re also dealing with a sudden coaching change and rumors of chemistry issues. The Nuggets look the most vulnerable they’ve been in the past three or four years. It’s hard to ever count out Jokić and company, but it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where Denver comes out a bit disoriented and drops a game.
If the Clippers slip up and lose either of their next two games, they’ll lose their cushion over the pack, and go back to merely being in Play-In contention.
LA has tiebreakers against both Golden State and Memphis, so ending up tied with either of those two teams wouldn’t be a problem, but if it loses its next two in a row, it could end up as low as the eighth seed going into the postseason, putting it at risk of missing the playoffs entirely if they can’t find success in the Play-In Tournament.
Los Angeles is one of the only teams in the West at this point that has (close to) full control of its playoff destiny. Win out, and they’re at least the five seed—it’s as simple as that. It’s a tall task, but it’s one they’ve shown they have the talent, momentum and discipline to accomplish. All the Clippers have to do is take care of business.
The Clippers play their next game Friday on the road against the Sacramento Kings at 7 p.m.