NBA Western Conference standings update: Can Lakers miraculously avoid play-in game?
By Quinn Everts
Never too high, never too low. That's the motto of the NBA Western Conference this year, as the conference has turned into a grind-it-out dogfight, where No. 5 and No. 12 are separated by four games.
Oklahoma City has a firm grip on the top spot in the conference; even with Houston playing well and Denver starting to cook, catching the Thunder feels like a pipe dream. With a seven-game lead heading into the back-half of the schedule, overtaking OKC will be a tall task for anyone.
But after the Thunder... it's anyone's game. Houston and Memphis are battling for the No. 2 spot (and Denver has recently joined that battle) while the Lakers, Clippers and Kings are just one game apart while fighting for the No. 5 and No. 6 spots to stay out of the play-in. Here's how the standings look as of January 23rd.
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NBA Western Conference standings
Team | Record |
|---|---|
1. Oklahoma City Thunder | 36-7 |
2. Houston Rockets | 29-14 |
3. Memphis Grizzlies | 29-15 |
4. Denver Nuggets | 27-16 |
5. Los Angeles Lakers | 23-18 |
6. Los Angeles Clippers | 24-19 |
7. Sacramento Kings | 23-20 |
8. Minnesota Timberwolves | 23-21 |
9. Dallas Mavericks | 23-21 |
10. Phoenix Suns | 22-21 |
11. Golden State Warriors | 21-22 |
12. San Antonio Spurs | 19-22 |
13. Portland Trail Blazers | 15-28 |
14. New Orleans Pelicans | 12-32 |
15. Utah Jazz | 10-32 |
What jumps out the most in these standings? For me, it's the five-seed Lakers. They're the only team in the top nine with a negative point differential, and that comes from losing 12 games by at least 10 points — the most of any team currently in a playoff position. But hey... however they got here, the Lakers are currently in fifth, clear of a play-in game. Don't apologize for winning ugly!
Even more mystifying than LA's 12 losses by at least 10 points is Oklahoma City's 28 wins by at least 10 points. Only four other NBA teams have won 28 games total and OKC has won that many by double-digits. I thought the superteam era was over.
Denver is surging, having won seven of their past eight games. Rumors of their demise may have been premature. They do still have Nikola Jokic, for what it's worth... it's worth a lot.
To me, Dallas is clearly the best team currently outside the top eight. Injuries have ravaged the team — granted, every team has injuries but theirs are especially bad — and if they can just stay around that 8-10 range for the whole year, they'll still have a chance to make a deep run in the postseason.