Test of the West

03/23/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Morant & Towns Return, Grizzlies Clinch, Lakers Top Suns & Warriors Win on the Road in Crowded Western Conference Playoff Push

The NBA is just two weeks away from locking in the playoffs, and the Western Conference just got an injection of crazy — if it wasn’t already. Multiple storylines came out of the West on Wednesday, including the returns of Ja Morant (Grizzlies) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves). Both teams were winners, and the Grizzlies clinched a playoff bid. The Lakers topped the Suns for the first time in two years to tighten the playoff picture even further. The Warriors beat the Mavericks with some controversy to claim back-to-back road wins for the first time all season. And the Blazers beat the Jazz to keep Portland in the running. If you haven’t been keeping up with the NBA playoff push, get there fast.

The Playoff Push: The East is a solid three-team race with the Bucks (52-20), Celtics (50-23), and 76ers (49-23) in a dead heat for the No. 1 seed. The Cavaliers sit comfortably in the 4-spot. Nothing crazy there. But out West? Different ballgame. Two teams have clinched playoff spots (Nuggets & Grizzlies) with a third soon to follow (Kings). Then there are nine teams (4-13) who can neither confirm nor deny their playoff destiny. All nine teams are separated by just six games. And with roughly eight games left to play in the regular season, NBA fans are in for a wild playoff push. Here’s how the Western Conference looks after last night.

Western Conference Playoff Race

Top-3 Seeds

1. Nuggets (49-24)*

2. Grizzlies (45-27)*

3. Kings (43-29)

*Clinched Playoff Berth

Teams 4-13

4. Suns (38-34)

5. Clippers (38-35)

6. Warriors (38-36)

7. Timberwolves (37-37)

8. Thunder (36-36)