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How special has this race for the top of the West been?
- For the past 40 days…
- The Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder have ALL been top 3 in the West
- Separated by 1.5 games or less the entire time…
Going back to the birth of conferences in 1970, that has NEVER happened this late in the season.
Until now.
With six more days that could be added as this race goes down the wire.
The No. 1 seed has changed hands 14 times over the past 40 days.
Who’s held it the longest? Oklahoma City at 17 days, followed by Minnesota (14) and Denver (9). However, much of OKC’s run at the top took place in March.
Since April 2, the Thunder have been in third place as injuries to stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams led to OKC’s first three-game losing streak of the season (Apr. 2-5) before the Thunder snapped it on Sunday.
SGA is off the injury report, while Williams is listed as questionable, for OKC’s game against the Kings tonight.
The final dash for the top seed starts tonight as all three teams begin their final four games of the regular season. They each play on the same day, and nearly all at the same time, so have multiple devices and screens ready to track the latest.
Circle Wednesday’s Wolves at Nuggets game on your calendar as it is the final meeting between two of the teams in the top three and can help the winner gain some separation.
With the race so tight, keep tiebreakers in mind as they may come into play come Sunday.
- Wolves/Nuggets: Minnesota leads 2-1 with one game to play (Wednesday). If Denver wins, the head-to-head tiebreaker cannot be used. Minnesota holds the second tiebreaker (higher division win percentage)
- Wolves/Thunder: No head-to-head tiebreaker (series tied 2-2). If Minnesota loses to Denver, the division record tiebreaker (tied 12-4) cannot be used. Minnesota holds the third tiebreaker (higher conference win percentage)
- Thunder/Nuggets: Thunder hold head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1 season series)
