Approaching the final week of seeding games, the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers have emerged as the likeliest candidates to earn the final NBA playoff place in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies sit in eighth, with a 1.5-game lead over the Blazers and a two-game advantage on the Suns. Simply holding firm won’t be enough to guarantee a postseason berth, however, after the league opened the door for a play-in tournament.
The team in eighth automatically qualifies for the playoffs only if it has a lead of more than four games on the team in ninth. As a result, the Suns and Blazers can still claw their way into the first round even if they wind up outside of the top eight.
At the very least, the Grizzlies can clinch a play-in spot by beating the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The two teams tip off at 2 p.m. ET.
The Suns are charging hard on the Blazers.
Phoenix is 5-0 since the NBA restarted the season in Orlando, Florida, while Portland ceded valuable ground in a 122-117 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard. Damian Lillard missed two free throws that would’ve given the Blazers the lead inside the final 20 seconds.
Portland remains in the driver’s seat based on overall winning percentage. The Blazers (32-39) are a half-game ahead of the Suns (31-39) with three games remaining. Here’s how the rest of their regular season looks:
Portland
Sunday, Aug. 9 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Dallas Mavericks
Thursday, Aug. 13 at Brooklyn Nets
Phoenix
Monday, Aug. 10 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Philadelphia 76ers
Thursday, Aug. 13 vs. Dallas Mavericks
If the Blazers win out, they’ll face off with the Grizzlies in the play-in tournament. Should they falter once again, the Suns could leapfrog them in the standings and thus have the inside track.
Portland can’t clinch anything on Sunday but could end the playoff hopes for a pair of teams.
Should the Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers, they’ll eliminate the Sacramento Kings. A victory for Portland would also send the New Orleans Pelicans packing if the Pelicans also lose to the San Antonio Spurs.
Warriors star fined $50K for suggesting that Devin Booker needs to ‘get out of Phoenix’
Ranking the best possible group of five on the court in crunch time
The best and worst destinations for the youngest Ball brother