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As the 2018-19 NBA regular season comes to a close, the Western Conference playoff picture is still largely undecided. While the eight best teams have already clinched a postseason spot, specific seeding is still very much up in the air.
The only team whose spot is definitively locked down is the first-seed Golden State Warriors. The other seven teams' fates will be decided by the rest of this week's games.
On Monday afternoon, the NBA released a helpful chart explaining each of the possible scenarios, via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
The NBA has released the Western Conference playoff scenarios involving the L.A. #Clippers, Oklahoma City #Thunder, San Antonio #Spurs, Utah #Jazz, Portland Trail #Blazers, Houston #Rockets, and Denver #Nuggets.
Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/xqJh8h1vB9
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 8, 2019
Each of the seven teams will play at least one more game over the next three days, with the Denver Nuggets playing twice.
At the top of the Conference, the Nuggets, the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers are fighting for seeding. The three teams are separated by just two games. Denver has a half-game advantage on Houston entering Monday.
One of the fourth and fifth seeds will be occupied by either Houston or Portland. The other will be a battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. The Jazz have a chance to take the fourth seed if they finish with the same record as the Trail Blazers because they win the tiebreaker.
Rounding out the playoff picture, two of Utah, Oklahoma City and San Antonio will join the Los Angeles Clippers in the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds.
The back end of the Eastern Conference is still undecided as well. The last few days of the regular season should be tense and exciting.
