The Western Conference playoff picture for the 2023-24 NBA season rivals last year’s campaign, where nearly every seed was determined on the final day of the regular season. The 10 teams competing in the postseason have been established but who they’ll play remains to be seen. With no games Monday, April 8, it’s a good time to check in on the West standings and see how the conference is shaping up for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Western Conference standings
Minnesota Timberwolves (54-24) – clinched playoff spot
Denver Nuggets (54-24) – clinched playoff spot
Oklahoma City Thunder (53-25), 1 GB – clinched playoff spot
Los Angeles Clippers (50-28), 4 GB
Dallas Mavericks (48-30), 6 GB
Phoenix Suns (46-32), 8 GB
New Orleans Pelicans (46-32), 8 GB
Sacramento Kings (45-33), 9 GB
Los Angeles Lakers (45-34), 9.5 GB
Golden State Warriors (43-35), 11 GB
Seven teams are fighting for the three remaining automatic playoff spots, with seven combined games separating the Clippers from the Warriors. Phoenix holds a head-to-head tiebreaker at the moment over New Orleans, which could be the difference between the play-in tournament and a week of rest. The Lakers and Kings are separated by half a game, which could mean the difference between double and single elimination. There’s still a battle for the No. 1 seed in the conference between the three teams who have already clinched a playoff spot. Here’s how the bracket would look if the regular season concluded April 8.
Matchups if season ended April 8
First round
Timberwolves vs. loser of Pelicans/Kings or winner of Lakers/Warriors
Nuggets vs. winner of Pelicans/Kings
Thunder vs. Suns
Clippers vs. Mavericks
Play-in tournament
Pelicans vs. Kings (winner becomes No. 7 seed, loser goes to second play-in game)
Lakers vs. Warriors (winner meets loser of Pelicans-Kings, loser eliminated)
Loser of Pelicans/Kings vs. winner of Lakers/Warriors (winner becomes No. 8 seed, loser eliminated)