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The NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and Thursday night features a few key matchups that will impact the standings in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. The biggest matchup will take place in Houston, as the Golden State Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets in a battle for the final play-in tournament spot in the West. This game will have a direct impact on the NBA playoff picture as a whole.
Although nothing is to be locked up or decided for either team on Thursday, a lot is on the line for the Warriors and Rockets. Golden State has won four of the last nine championships, yet they will inch closer to elimination from the postseason altogether if they can't pull out another road victory to increase their win streak to six games.
On the other side of things, the Rockets have been surging as of late, winning 13 of their last 16 games. Without Alperen Sengun on the court, Jalen Green has been playing like an All-Star and carrying Houston to a position where they can still contend for a play-in tournament spot. It is worth noting that the Warriors currently own the season tiebreaker, regardless of the outcome o this game.
Ahead of Thursday night's battle, the Warriors lead the Rockets by three full games in the West standings. Another win creates enough separation for the champions to carry momentum into the play-in tournament.
A smaller five-game schedule on Thursday also features the Denver Nuggets, who are fighting for the 1-seed in the West, as well as the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, and Dallas Mavericks. These three teams continue to jockey for position in the West standings ahead of the NBA Playoffs, which is why every win and loss matters just a little bit more around this time of the season.
The NBA playoffs picture and standings are set to change yet again as a result of some interesting battles on Thursday night.
76ers vs. Heat (7:30 PM ET)
It is not a coincidence that the Philadelphia 76ers have gone 26-8 when Joel Embiid is on the floor this season. This team was built around the league's reigning MVP, and the Sixers proved that they are still a legit team in the Eastern Conference by taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week. Now, Philly goes up against a Miami Heat squad that is silently finding its footing ahead of the playoffs. Both teams are looking to avoid having to earn their playoff spot via the play-in tournament, which is why this game could wind up switching up the Eastern Conference standings.
- Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris are all questionable for the 76ers.
- After the Indiana Pacers lost on Wednesday, the Heat control the 6-seed momentarily in the East.
- Miami has won three straight games.
- The No. 6 Heat are 1.5 games ahead of the No. 8 76ers in the standings.
- A win by the Heat puts them a half-game ahead of the No. 7 Pacers in the standings, while a loss drops them to the 7-seed and just a half-game ahead of the No. 8 76ers.
Kings vs. Knicks (7:30 PM ET) – TNT
The Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks hold identical records at 44-31 overall. The only difference is that the Knicks are currently fighting for the 4-seed in the East, while the Kings look to simply get out of the play-in tournament region of the standings in the Western Conference. New York has lost three straight games for the first time since before the All-Star break, which is why Thursday night's game against Sacramento is critical for them in regards to the East standings and NBA playoffs. What more do you want other than a matchup of Jalen Brunson vs. De'Aaron Fox?
- The No. 8 Kings are a half-game behind the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans and the No. 6 Phoenix Suns in the West.
- A win over New York, plus a loss by Dallas, creates a four-way tie in the Western Conference for the 5-seed.
- The No. 5 Knicks are a half-game behind the No. 4 Orlando Magic, and a full-game behind the No. 3 Cleveland Cavaliers.
- A win over Sacramento puts the Knicks in a tie with Orlando for the 4-seed in the East. Orlando currently owns the tiebreaker.
- A loss to Sacramento, plus a win by the No. 6 Heat moves Miami within a game of New York in the standings.
- The Kings will clinch a top-10 seed with a win AND a loss by Houston.
Hawks vs. Mavs (7:30 PM ET)
With a win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, the Atlanta Hawks have clinched their spot in the play-in tournament. Now, they will look to move up to the 9-seed and potentially host their win or go-home play-in game that is less than two weeks away. On the flip side, the Dallas Mavericks can't afford another loss because that would result in them possibly moving into a four-way tie with the Suns, Pelicans, and Kings for the 5-seed in the West. Atlanta has a chance to really throw a wrench in the standings ahead of the NBA playoffs with a surprising road win.
- The No. 10 Hawks are currently tied at 36-40 with the No. 9 Chicago Bulls, who own the season tiebreaker over Atlanta.
- A win over Dallas moves the Hawks into the 9-seed in the East.
- A win over Atlanta, plus a loss by the No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers, moves Dallas within a game of the Clippers for the 4-seed.
- A loss to Atlanta puts Dallas in a three-way tie for the 5-seed with the Suns and Pelicans. The Kings can join this group with a win over New York in this scenario.
- Dallas will clinch a top-10 seed with a win OR a loss by Houston.
Warriors vs. Rockets (8:00 PM ET)
The game of the night features two teams near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. The Rockets and Warriors have met countless times in the NBA Playoffs, and have long been rivals with one another. Now, there is more fuel to this fire, as the Warriors hold a three-game lead over the Rockets for the final play-in tournament spot with just seven games remaining. A loss by the Rockets essentially knocks them out of contention for the NBA Playoffs, which is why everything will be on the line in what should be a very physical matchup.
- The No. 10 Warriors reside two games back of the No. 9 Los Angeles Lakers in the West standings.
- A win over Houston will essentially allow the Warriors to claim a play-in spot in the Western Conference.
- A win over Golden State moves the Rockets within two games of the Warriors, with six games remaining.
- Golden State owns the season tiebreaker over the Rockets, regardless of the outcome of this game.
Nuggets vs. Clippers (10:00 PM ET)
The Los Angeles Clippers are trending in the wrong direction ahead of the playoffs. Kawhi Leonard will miss his second straight game as a result of right knee soreness, which doesn't present a whole lot of optimism against the surging Denver Nuggets. Currently tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the top of the West, the Nuggets are once again looking to claim the 1-seed in the conference. Another loss by the Clippers will result in them suddenly being in danger of falling into the play-in region of the standings.
- A win over Los Angeles gives the Nuggets a half-game lead over Minnesota for the 1-seed in the Western Conference.
- A loss to the Clippers pushes Denver a half-game behind the Timberwolves for the 1-seed in the Western Conference.
- The Clippers are currently two full games ahead of the No. 5 Mavs and 4.5 games behind the No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder.
- A win over Denver allows the Clippers to maintain at least a two-game lead over Dallas in the standings.
- A loss to Denver and a win by Dallas give the Clippers just a one-game lead over the Mavs for the 4-seed.
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