The Mavericks fell to Golden State late Tuesday night, but the good news is that it did not cost them any ground in the Western Conference playoff standings.
While they missed a chance to pick up a game on the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers, who lost at Sacramento, the Mavericks’ 104-100 loss at Golden State left them exactly where they were before the game. They’re still No. 5, owning the tiebreaker against Sacramento, which also owns a 45-30 record.
The fortunes for the Oklahoma City Thunder were not quite so good. Playing without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they lost at Philadelphia in Joel Embiid’s return to action and fell from the top spot in the West to No. 3 behind Denver and Minnesota.
It’s that cutthroat right now. Lose, and it could cost you two spots in the standings.
The Mavericks have three home games approaching in four days, beginning Thursday against Atlanta. Taking care of business at American Airlines Center will be imperative.
Here’s the updated Western Conference playoff picture:
Western Conference update
Team (seed) Record Games left (H-R)
Denver (1) 53-23……….2-4
Minnesota (2) 52-23……….4-3
Oklahoma City (3) 52-23……….4-3
LA Clippers (4) 47-28……….6-1
Dallas (5) 45-30……….4-3
New Orleans (6) 45-30……….3-4
——————–
Sacramento (7) 44-31……….3-4
Phoenix (8) 44-31..…….4-3
LA Lakers (9) 43-33……….3-3
Golden State (10) 41-34…….…3-4
——————–
Houston (11) 38-37………3-4
X: @ESefko
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