NBA playoff picture 2023: West standings, team seeds, play-in tournament projections on March 20

The West standings have started to heat up as the season winds down. There's not a lot of intrigue at the top of this playoff picture but only four games separate the No. 4 seed from the No. 12 seed.

Below we take a look at the Western Conference standings and playoff picture.

Western Conference Standings and Playoff Picture

1. Denver Nuggets (48-24)
2. Sacramento Kings (43-27), 4.0 GB
3. Memphis Grizzlies (43-27), 4.0 GB
4. Phoenix Suns (38-33), 9.5 GB
5. Los Angeles Clippers (38-34), 10.0 GB
6. Dallas Mavericks (36-35), 11.5 GB

7. Golden State Warriors (36-36), 12.0 GB
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-36), 12.5 GB
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (35-37), 13.0 GB
10. Los Angeles Lakers (35-37), 13.0 GB

11. Utah Jazz (34-36), 13.0 GB
12. New Orleans Pelicans (34-37), 13.5 GB
13. Portland Trail Blazers (31-40), 16.5 GB
14. San Antonio Spurs (19-52), 28.5 GB
15. Houston Rockets (18-53), 29.5 GB

Playoff Predictions

The Thunder have not pulled the plug yet on the season, and the Lakers have snuck into the No. 10 spot. The Pelicans badly need Zion Williamson to return to the floor to get into the play-in zone, while the Blazers might shut down Damian Lillard if they can't make up ground in the next few games.

The Warriors will hope to avoid the play-in tournament and do get a stretch of home games to do so. They've been dominant at home and equally abysmal on the road, leading to a .500 season. The Grizzlies might be able to overtake the Kings for the No. 2 seed, but the Nuggets likely won't get caught in the top spot.

  
Read Full Article