NBA Western Conference Playoffs Viewer Guide: May 8

May 8, 2021, 11:34 AM

NBA Playoffs Logo (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – There are eight days left in the NBA regular season, and with the postseason fast approaching, every game has the potential to change the final seeding for the playoffs in the Western Conference.

With just a handful of games left for each roster, the top-10 teams in the West are almost set, even if their seeding is not.

With that in mind, and the understanding that each game will impact among these teams will affect the final standings, let’s look at the most important games left on the NBA’s regular-season schedule each of the eight remaining nights.

(This list will be updated as games gain and lose importance to close the season)

Current Standings:

x – Utah Jazz: 49-18
x – Phoenix Suns: 48-19 – 1 game back
x – Los Angeles Clippers: 45-22 – 4 games back
x – Denver Nuggets: 44-23 – 5 games back
y – Dallas Mavericks: 39-28 – 10 games back
y – Portland Trail Blazers: 38-29 – 11 games back
y – Los Angeles Lakers: 37-30 – 12 game back
Golden State Warriors: 34-33 – 15 games back
Memphis Grizzlies: 33-33 – 15.5 game back
San Antonio Spurs: 32-34 – 16.5 games back
New Orleans Pelicans: 30-37 – 19 games back

x – Team has clinched an automatic playoff birth.

y – Team has clinched a spot in the West’s top ten.

Yesterday’s Games

Denver Nuggets: 120 @ Utah Jazz 127:

With the win, the Utah Jazz maintained their spot atop the Western Conference by one game over the Phoenix Suns

They also clinched the Northwest Division title and a top-three seed in the Western Conference playoffs by way of winning the season tiebreaker over the Denver Nuggets two games to one.

The Jazz can clinch a top two-seed in the West with any win or Los Angeles Clippers loss.

The Nuggets’ loss eliminated them from being able to earn the top seed in the West and dropped them a full game back of the Clippers for the third seed.

New York Knicks: 105 @ Phoenix Suns: 128

With the win, the Suns kept within one game of the Jazz for the top seed in the West.

Los Angeles Lakers: 101 @ Portland Trail Blazers: 106

With the win, the Portland Trail Blazers lept the Los Angeles Lakers for the sixth seed in the west by one full game with five games left to play.

Portland also won the season series and tiebreaker over the Lakers two games to one.

San Antonio Spurs: 113 @ Sacramento Kings: 104

With the win, the Spurs moved 2.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans and 3.5 games ahead of the Sacramento Kings with just six games remaining.

This was the Spurs’ last game of the season against a team that won’t play in either the playoffs or play-in tournament.

New Orleans Pelicans: 107 @ Philadelphia 76ers: 109

With the loss, the Pelicans dropped 2.5 games behind the Spurs for final seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament with just five games left to play.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 90 @ Dallas Mavericks: 110

With the win, the Mavericks maintained a one-game lead over the sixth-seeded Trail Blazers and now lead the seventh-seeded Lakers by two games in the standings with just five games left to play.

The Mavericks can fall no further than seventh in the final standings, meaning they would host a play-in tournament game even if they were to lose the rest of their regular-season games.

Tonight’s Games: May 8

Houston Rockets @ Utah Jazz:

The Jazz can clinch a top-two seed in the West with a victory over the Houston Rockets and take a 1.5 game lead over the Phoenix Suns with four games left to play.

Brooklyn Nets @ Denver Nuggets:

The Nuggets will play their final home game of the season against Brooklyn and conclude their toughest stretch to close the season after facing the Knicks, Jazz, and Nets over a four-day stretch.

With a win, Denver would move to within a half-game of the Clippers for the third-seed in the West.

San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trail Blazers:

With a win, the Trail Blazers could prevent Spurs from overtaking them in the final seeding by owning the tie-breaker in the season series.

Portland can move 1.5 games ahead of the Lakers for the sixth-seed with a victory with only four games remaining in the season.

The Spurs can move three full games ahead of the Pelicans for the final spot in the play-in tournament with a victory over the Trail Blazers and into a tie with Memphis Grizzlies if they were to lose to the Toronto Raptors.

Memphis Grizzlies @ Toronto Raptors:

The Grizzlies can maintain their one-game lead over the Spurs with a victory regardless of the outcome between San Antonio and the Trail Blazers.

With a loss, and a Spurs win the two teams would pull into an even tie at 33-34, though Memphis would retain the ninth seed by way of winning the season series two games to one.

May 9

New York Knicks @ Los Angeles Clippers:

This is the Clippers’ final home game of the regular season before finishing the year with four consecutive road games.

Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers:

The Suns can sweep the season series with a win over the Lakers.

May 10

Utah Jazz @ Golden State Warriors:

This is the Jazz final road game against a playoff or play-in tournament team and a potential first-round NBA Playoffs preview.

Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers:

This is the Trail Blazers’ final game of the season against a non-top-four seed in the West before concluding the season on the road against the Jazz and Suns before returning home to face the Nuggets.