Today, the NBA has scheduled a total of 4 games, all related to Western teams, the results are Lakers 128-124 Bucks, Warriors 113-92 Heat, Thunder 119-112 Pelicans, Mavericks 132-96 Kings. At the end of the game, the latest standings and situation in the west are as follows:
Playoff qualifying zones (1-6): Nuggets, Thunder, Timberwolves, Clippers, Pelicans, Mavericks
Play-in qualifying zones (7-10): Kings, Suns, Lakers, Warriors
11-15: Rockets, Jazz, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Spurs
The Thunder defeated the Pelicans by 7 points, and their record came to 50-21, continuing to rank second in the West, 0.5 wins behind the No. 1 Nuggets, and one win ahead of the Timberwolves behind them. The Pelicans' two-game winning streak was ended, and their record came to 44-28, dropping to fifth place in the West, 0.5 wins behind the fourth-place Clippers.
The Mavericks beat the Kings by 36 points to win five in a row, bringing their record to 43-29 and rising to sixth place in the West, one win behind the Pelicans. After the loss, the Kings had a record of 42-30 and dropped to 7th place in the West, one win behind the Mavericks and the same record as the Suns behind them.
The Lakers won four straight games by beating the Bucks by four points in double overtime, bringing their record to 40-32 and continuing to rank ninth in the West, two wins behind the Suns in eighth place. The Warriors beat the Heat by 21 points to end a two-game losing streak, with a record of 37 wins and 34 losses, continuing to rank 10th in the West, as many as 2.5 wins behind the Lakers and one win ahead of the Rockets behind them.
After today's game, the Western Conference standings and the situation have changed again. After the Thunder won the game, they continued to attack the first place in the West, and they still only had 0.5 wins with the Nuggets, and they were very close. After the Pelicans lost, they gave up the fourth place in the West, and the Clippers returned to the fourth place in the West, with only 0.5 wins separating the two sides, and the gap is still very small. The Mavericks returned to the playoff qualification zone with a five-game winning streak and had a one-win advantage after winning the key card battle with the Kings, while the Kings and Suns were eyeing the back. The Lakers beat the Bucks again without James and continue to attack the top 8 in the West, and the next five consecutive road trips will be very crucial. The Warriors, on the other hand, secured their playoff qualification after winning over the Heat and could finally take a breather.
There are 12 games in the NBA tomorrow, including 8 games involving Western teams, namely Warriors (back-to-back) vs. Magic, Lakers (back-to-back) vs. Grizzlies, Trail Blazers vs. Hawks, Clippers vs. 76ers, Timberwolves vs. Pistons, Rockets vs. Thunder, Spurs vs. Jazz, Suns vs. Nuggets. Obviously, after the game, the Western Conference standings and the situation will change again!