Updated standings
With ten more games remaining in the regular season schedule, teams are positioning for playoff seedings. With their win over Orlando last Monday, the LA Lakers crashed back into the play-in picture at number 10, as per updated rankings up to the time of this writing.
The Western Conference, as usual, will be wild as only four games separate the number four Phoenix Suns from the 12th placed New Orleans Pelicans. The Denver Nuggets continues to hold on to the WC’s top spot with surprise entrant Sacramento Kings at second place.
It will be safe to say that this will be Sacramento’s first trip to the playoffs after 16 years, the longest ever active playoff failure in all four major US professional sports. Their last playoff appearance was during the 2005-2006 season with the likes of Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ron Artest, Peja Stojakovic and Bonzi Wells in the lineup.
The Lakers need to win their three home games against Phoenix tomorrow, OKC on Saturday and the Bulls on Monday and hope losses for other WC playoff contending teams to solidify their post-season chances. They had done well without LeBron and if Anthony Davis don’t get brittle again or do questionable plays, they’ll be good.
Detroit, Houston, San Antonio and Charlotte are out of the post-season cast. They sit at the bottom four of the overall standings. Three teams have officially qualified - Milwaukee and Boston in the East and Denver out West.
Here are the standings as of March 20:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Milwaukee 51 - 20
Philadelphia 48 - 22
Boston 49 - 23
Cleveland 45 -28
New York 42 - 30
Brooklyn 39 - 32
Miami 39 - 34
Atlanta 35 - 36
Toronto 35 - 37
Chicago 33 - 37
Indiana 32 - 39
Washington 32 - 39
Orlando 29 - 43
Charlotte 22 - 50
Detroit 16 - 50
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Denver 48 - 24
Sacramento 43 - 27
Memphis 43 -27
Phoenix 38 - 33
LA Clippers 38 - 34
Dallas 36 - 35
Golden State 36 -36
Oklahoma 35 - 36
Minnesota 35 - 37
LA Lakers 35 -37
Utah 34 - 36
New Orleans 34 - 37
Portland 31 - 40
San Antonio 19 - 52
Houston 18 -53
- Latest