Battle for the Play-In: Warriors vs Lakers

After every team in the league had a rest day on Monday night, the final week of the 2023-24 season is here. The NBA playoff picture as a whole has seen constant change recently, especially in the Western Conference. However, the one constant in this conference has been the battle at the top of the standings between the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City. Near the bottom of the standings is where things get very interesting, especially with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in region of the playoff picture.

The Warriors and Lakers are two bitter rivals that entered the season with championship aspirations. While these lofty goals may still exist for both clubs, they may very well run into one another in the 9-seed vs. 10-seed play-in game. Should this occur, only one of them will have a chance to move on, and there are no guarantees that either team will actually make the NBA playoffs themselves!

LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. Anthony Davis vs. Draymond Green. The Bay vs. L.A.

You really can’t script this any better.

Although both teams are still fighting for their right to make the playoffs, this game between the Lakers and Warriors holds major NBA playoff picture implications. With how tight things are in the Western Conference standings, a win by the Lakers could see them moving up a spot into the 7-seed vs. 8-seed play-in game. On the flip side, a win by Golden State could potentially put them in a position to push Los Angeles down to the 10-seed before the conclusion of the season. In this case, it would be the Warriors who could potentially host the Lakers in a winner-take-all play-in game next week.

So much is on the line entering Tuesday night, and all 10 teams that are currently in the Western Conference playoff picture are on the NBA schedule, starting with an early matchup that involves the No. 5 Dallas Mavericks.

Mavericks vs. Hornets (7:00 PM ET)

Over the last few weeks, the Mavericks have proven to be the hottest team in the NBA. With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving healthy, Dallas has won 14 of its last 16 games. As good as they have been offensively with their spread offense, the story for the Mavs has been the success of their defense. In this span, they rank first in defensive rating at 106.5 overall. Currently two full games back of the No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers and two full games in front of the No. 6 Phoenix Suns, the Mavs control their own fate in terms of moving up or down the standings before the conclusion of the season.

• Dallas will clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a loss by either Phoenix or New Orleans.
• Dallas will clinch the Southwest Division title with a win AND a loss by New Orleans.
• The Mavs can move within a game of the Clippers for the 4-seed with a win AND a loss by LA.
• A loss to Charlotte, plus a win by either Phoenix or New Orleans, cuts Dallas’ lead for the No. 4 seed to just one game.
• The Mavericks currently own tiebreakers over Phoenix, New Orleans, Sacramento, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
• The Clippers own the season tiebreaker over the Mavs.

Wizards vs. Timberwolves (8:00 PM ET)

Like the Mavericks, the Timberwolves will be facing an easy task on Tuesday night when they host the Washington Wizards, who only have 15 wins on the season. Then again, four of their wins have come in their last 10 games, including a major upset over the Milwaukee Bucks recently. With Karl-Anthony Towns still out, the Timberwolves will continue to lean on Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid for the majority of their offensive production. At the end of the day, Minnesota is a team forged on the defensive side of the ball. This is why they still have a chance to claim the 1-seed in the conference.

• Minnesota is currently tied with Denver for the 1-seed in the Western Conference.
• The Timberwolves own tiebreakers over Denver, Oklahoma City, and Los Angeles.
• A win against Washington keeps the Timberwolves as the West’s No. 1 seed in the NBA playoff picture with three games left.
• A loss to the Wizards and a win by the Nuggets over the Utah Jazz puts Denver in the No. 1 seed.
• A loss to the Wizards and wins by Denver and Oklahoma City puts Minnesota into a tie for the 2-seed with the Thunder.

Kings vs. Thunder (8:00 PM ET)

This Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder matchup definitely impacts the NBA playoff picture. Given their struggles as of late, the Kings have fallen to the 8-seed in the Western Conference, just one game back of the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans in the standings. They are also just a half-game in front of the Lakers, who own the tiebreaker over them. Their opponents, the Thunder, are still battling for the 1-seed, and they will be getting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back from a quad injury. Neither team can really afford a loss at this juncture if they are to obtain their goals ahead of the playoffs.

• The Thunder can still claim the 1-seed in the West due to the tiebreaker they own over Denver.
• Oklahoma City, Denver, and Minnesota are all in the same division, so the tiebreaker could very well come down to division record.
• A win over the Kings and losses by both Minnesota and Denver put the Thunder in a three-way tie for the 1-seed in the West.
• A loss to the Kings could result in the Thunder moving two full games back of the 1-seed.
• A loss to the Thunder, plus a Lakers win, moves the Kings down to the 9-seed in the West.
• A win over the Thunder can see the Kings move up in the standings only if the Suns lose.
• New Orleans currently owns the tiebreaker over Sacramento.

Nuggets vs. Jazz (9:00 PM ET)

The Nuggets continue to be on cruise control entering the final week of the regular season. Jamal Murray is working his way back from a slight knee sprain, and Nikola Jokic is on his way to his third MVP award in the last four seasons. A matchup against the Utah Jazz shouldn’t present any problems whatsoever for Denver, as the Jazz have dropped 12 straight games, the longest active losing streak in the league. In regards to the NBA playoff picture, the Nuggets are looking to claim the 1-seed in the West for the second straight season.

• Denver is currently tied with Minnesota for the 1-seed in the West.
• The Timberwolves own the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, although these two teams will play a decisive fourth game later this week.
• A win against the Jazz and a loss by Minnesota moves the Nuggets into sole possession of the 1-seed.
• A loss and a win by the Thunder pushes the Nuggets down to the 3-seed.
• Oklahoma City owns the season tiebreaker over Denver.

Clippers vs. Suns (10:00 PM ET)

Another important matchup pertaining to the NBA playoff picture in the Western Conference involves the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, two teams that are all too familiar with one another. The Clippers and Suns battled it out in the playoffs two of the last three years. Phoenix ended up winning both series, sparking this new rivalry between two teams from the Pacific Division. As far as the standings go, the Clippers are still looking to lock up the 4-seed, while the Suns are just looking to avoid the play-in tournament. Neither side can afford to lose, with teams right behind them in the standings.

• The Clippers currently lead the No. 5 Mavs by two games for the 4-seed.
• The Suns are tied with the Pelicans for the 6-seed, and trail the Mavs by two games fo the 5-seed.
• A win over Phoenix OR a loss by the Pelicans clinches a playoff spot for the Clippers.
• The Clippers can clinch the Pacific Division title with a win over Phoenix.
• A win over the Clippers and a loss by the Mavs puts the Suns within a game of claiming the 5-seed.
• Los Angeles owns tiebreakers over Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento.
• Phoenix own a tiebreaker over New Orleans.

Pelicans vs. Blazers (10:00 PM ET)

Without Brandon Ingram, the New Orleans Pelicans have struggled at times to carve out their identity on offense. Although CJ McCollum has been great in recent weeks, the Pelicans have stumbled right ahead of the playoffs. After being the 5-seed and 6-seed at times, they now find themselves as the 7-seed and in the play-in region of the standings. A loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night would be detrimental to the Pelicans’ chances of avoiding the play-in tournament.

• The Pelicans are currently tied with the Suns for the 6-seed in the West.
• A win against Portland, plus a Phoenix loss, gives the Pelicans sole possession of the 6-seed.
• A loss to Portland and a win by Sacramento puts the Pelicans into a tie for the 7-seed with the Kings.
• New Orleans owns tiebreakers over the Clippers and Kings.

Warriors vs. Lakers (10:00 PM ET)

The Warriors and Lakers are going to need a bit of luck heading into the playoffs. At this point, it is hard to see either team avoiding the play-in tournament. The big question that remains is whether or not they will have to face one another in that dreaded 9-seed vs. 10-seed play-in game. This game on Tuesday is going to be very telling as to what the future holds for both the Warriors and Lakers. Only one team is going to get a much-needed win late in the year, one that will set the stage for what to expect in the Western Conference play-in games.

• The Lakers lead the Warriors by 1.5 games for the 9-seed.
• Los Angeles will be locked into a play-in game with a loss AND a win by any two of Phoenix, New Orleans, and Sacramento.
• Golden State will be locked into a play-in game with a loss OR with a New Orleans win and a win by either Phoenix or Sacramento.
• A win against the Lakers puts the Warriors just a half-game behind Los Angeles for the 9-seed with three games left.
• A loss to the Lakers essentially seals the Warriors’ fate as the 10-seed in the West.
• A win over Golden State and a loss by the Kings moves the Lakers up to the 8-seed in the conference.
• A loss to the Warriors makes it very difficult for the Lakers to avoid the 9-seed vs. 10-seed play-in game.