With the NBA within the bell lap of its season, the playoff image is coming into focus — however slowly.
There are 12 groups within the Western Conference that could possibly be persevering with on after the common season ends on April 9, and the positioning remains to be in flux.
The New Orleans Pelicans is within the mixture of fixed change. New Orleans entered Wednesday sitting in eighth, which might imply a play-in event berth, however just a few losses may put it within the draft lottery. On the opposite hand, a profitable streak may propel the Pelicans into the primary spherical of the playoffs with out having to take part within the play-in.
So, each recreation is essential to the Pelicans, together with Thursday night time’s matchup in opposition to the host Denver Nuggets.
Denver (51-24) leads the Western Conference and is on observe to be the highest seed within the convention for the primary time in franchise historical past.
New Orleans (38-38) is coming off a tricky loss at Golden State on Tuesday night time. The Pelicans led by 20 at one level however misplaced by 11 and missed a possibility to tie Minnesota for the sixth seed.
“Our margin for error is small,” New Orleans coach Willie Green mentioned. “Especially against good teams. Have to finish possessions.”
New Orleans had a five-game profitable streak stopped, and it sits within the playoff hunt regardless of not having star ahead Zion Williamson, who has missed the final 39 video games with a hamstring damage. He might be re-evaluated April 5.
“He’s working,” Green mentioned. “He’s working at it.”
Jonas Valanciunas, who averaged 17.4 factors and 16.0 rebounds throughout the five-game profitable streak, will get the job of defending Nuggets famous person Nikola Jokic. Jokic is coming off his twenty ninth triple-double of the season in a win over Philadelphia on Monday and is sort of averaging a triple-double for the season (24.9 factors, 11.9 rebounds, 9.9 assists per recreation).
Denver is at the moment three video games forward of Memphis within the Western Conference, and if the Grizzlies win out, would wish to achieve 55 wins to clinch the West. The Nuggets almost blew a result in the 76ers’ reserves however held on.
“As long as we win,” Jokic mentioned, “that’s the most important thing.”
Denver led by 14 with 3:25 left however was compelled to place its starters again in to shut the sport. Aaron Gordon was on the bench for crunch time, which Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned was a training error on his half.
Malone mentioned postgame that he didn’t suppose the sport was going to get shut and caught with veteran Jeff Green.
Reaching 55 wins gained’t be a cakewalk for Denver. After Thursday night time’s recreation, it performs 4 of its final six contests on the street, with the 2 house video games coming in opposition to groups jockeying for playoff place — the Warriors and shocking Sacramento Kings.
The first step is thrashing the Pelicans for the third time and profitable the season sequence. The Nuggets pulled out a 99-98 win in New Orleans on Jan. 24 when Jokic made a subject purpose with 16.9 seconds left and the protection compelled three misses within the remaining 5.6 seconds.
