It’s getting down to the nitty-gritty in the Western Conference playoff race.
The great news is that the Mavericks have climbed into the No. 5 seed and control their own destiny in keeping it. They own the tiebreaker with New Orleans (also 45-29), via better divisional record. And the Mavericks have just one game against a Southwest Division opponent left (Houston on Sunday at American Airlines Center).
Win that game and the Mavericks will own the tiebreaker against the Pelicans should they end up with identical records. Plus, New Orleans plays six of its last eight games against winning teams.
The not-so-great news is that, with just eight games remaining, the Mavericks also are not likely to run down the No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Clippers for that spot, which would bring with it a home-court advantage in the first round. Since the Clippers own the tiebreaker against the Mavericks via a 2-1 season-series win, the Mavericks would have to make up three games, which is asking a lot in an eight-game span.
So, are the Mavericks’ on a collision course with the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs?
There’s still too much water to go under the bridge before that’s a reality. But right now, it would seem to be the most likely scenario.
Here’s the updated Western Conference playoff picture:
Western Conference update
Team (seed) Record Games left (H-R)
Oklahoma City (1) 52-22……….4-4
Denver (2) 52-23…….….3-4
Minnesota (3) 51-23…….….5-3
LA Clippers (4) 47-27…….….6-2
Dallas (5) 45-29……….4-4
New Orleans (6) 45-29……….4-4
——————–
Sacramento (7) 43-31..……..4-4
Phoenix (8) 43-31..….….4-4
LA Lakers (9) 42-33……….3-4
Golden State (10) 40-34…….…4-4
——————–
Houston (11) 38-36…….…3-5
X: @ESefko
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