Six days left. Postseason races historically close, and still WIDE open.

With 19 of 20 seeds still up in the air, and 13 teams able to finish in the Playoffs or Play-in, who’s grabbing a guaranteed spot?

THE LINEUP 🏀

What’s inside today’s edition? 

A Historic Race: The race for No. 1 in the West between Minnesota, Denver and OKC is a one-of-one.

Best Case/Worst Case: The postseason teams are set. The seeds are not. How high and low can each team go?

East Races To Watch: The race for No. 2 and the race for No. 6 is coming down to the wire

Play-In Preview? The Warriors & Lakers meet for the final time in the regular season, but may meet again soon

Chasing History: Get ready for the third season of the all-access look at the NBA playoffs

BUT FIRST … ⏰

What to watch today.

The final week of the regular season tips off with a 14-game slate, highlighted by a TNT doubleheader beginning with Celtics-Bucks (7:30 ET) as the top two teams in the East clash in Milwaukee, followed by the final regular season chapter of Warriors-Lakers (10 ET).

1. A NEVER BEFORE SEEN RACE FOR 1ST IN THE WEST

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)

2. HIGHEST AND LOWEST POTENTIAL FINISHES

The 20-team postseason field is set.

But, outside of Boston, the seeds for the other 19 teams — with the top six reaching the Playoffs and 7-10 seeds in the Play-In — will be determined this week.

So how high can each team climb? And how low can each team fall? Here’s a team-by-team look, starting in the East.

Key Takeaways

• Boston and Milwaukee are the only two teams guaranteed a playoff spot entering tonight
• Orlando, New York, Cleveland and Indy enter the week in the top six and can climb as high as No. 2 or drop into the 7 vs. 8 Play-In
• Philly and Miami enter the week in the Play-In field. Not only can they reach the top six for a guaranteed playoff berth, they can reach as high as No. 3
• Chicago and Atlanta will meet in the 9 vs. 10 game in the SoFi Play-In Tournament. But home-court advantage is still up for grabs in that win-or-go-home game
• Strength of schedule rankings (highest opponent win% to lowest): Milwaukee (.663), Orlando (.562), New York (.534), Atlanta (.514), Indiana (.455), Miami (.429), Boston (.406), Cleveland (.387), Chicago (.383) and Philadelphia (.383)

Key Takeaways

• Minnesota, Denver and Oklahoma City will all have home-court advantage in at least the first round of the Playoffs regardless of what happens in the final week
• LA Clippers and Dallas can fall no further than the 7 vs. 8 Play-In game, which gives teams two opportunities to secure a Playoff berth. The winner of the 7 vs. 8 game earns the No. 7 seed, while the loser plays the winner of the 9 vs. 10 game for the No. 8 seed
• Phoenix and New Orleans both have an outside shot of the No. 4 seed and home-court in the first round, but can also fall to the 10 seed
• Sacramento, L.A. Lakers and Golden State all still have a chance to earn a guaranteed Playoff spot with a top 6 finish, but also can end up as low as the 10 seed
• Strength of schedule rankings (highest opponent win% to lowest): Phoenix: (.638), Sacramento: (.532), LA Clippers: (.510), OKC: (.510), L.A. Lakers: (.496), New Orleans: (.492), Minnesota (.482), Golden State: (.450), Denver: (.413), Dallas: (.410)

3. TWO EAST RACES TO WATCH

The West isn’t having all the fun in close playoff races.

While Boston put the race for the No. 1 seed to bed on March 25, the seven teams below them are scrambling to secure their postseason seeds.

Nos. 2-5 in the East are separated by just 1.5 games – something that hasn’t happened this late into the season in 45 years.

• No. 2 Milwaukee
• No. 3 Orlando (1 GB)
• No. 4 New York (1 GB)
• No. 5 Cleveland (1.5 GB)

How volatile is this race?

• A Sunday loss dropped the Cavs from No. 3 to No. 5. Yes, they would still have a coveted top six guaranteed playoff spot, but no home-court advantage in the first round
• A four-game losing streak for the Bucks has seen their cushion over the field for the No. 2 seed cut to a single game

The matchup to watch? Bucks vs. Magic as the current No. 2 and No. 3 seed play twice over the season’s final five days, culminating on the final day of the regular season. The season series is tied 1-1 entering the week.

But that’s not the only East race to keep an eye on. The No. 6-8 teams battling for the final guaranteed playoff spot are also separated by just 1.5 games.

• No. 6 Indiana
• No. 7 Miami (1 GB)
• No. 8 Philadelphia (1.5 GB)

The Sixers may have the most ground to make up, but they enter the week tied with Boston for the longest active win streak in the NBA at five consecutive wins.

With All-Star Joel Embiid (knee) and Tyrese Maxey (hip) back in the lineup, the Sixers could be the team no higher seed wants to face in the first round. The Sixers are 29-8 when Embiid plays this season, which is a much higher win percentage (.784) than the average No. 8 seed.

After trading wins and losses for much of the post All-Star run, the Pacers have won four of their last five to help fend off the Heat and Sixers. They also hold head-to-head tiebreakers over both teams.

4. WARRIORS VS. LAKERS, ROUND 4

The Warriors and Lakers meet tonight in Los Angeles (10 ET, TNT) for the fourth and final time this regular season. But it may not be their only matchup this month.

If the postseason began today, the No. 9 Lakers would host the No. 10 Warriors in a win-or-go-home opening game of the SoFi Play-In Tournament, with the winner advancing to face the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game for the No. 8 seed in the Playoffs.

What’s at stake? The Lakers (45-34) enter this matchup with a 1.5-game lead on the Warriors (43-35), but the Warriors hold a 2-1 edge in the season series.

• A Golden State win clinches the tiebreaker for the Warriors and makes the teams even in the loss column (35) with two games to play for the Lakers (@MEM, @NOP) and three to play for the Warriors (@POR, vs. NOP, vs. UTA)
• A Los Angeles win clinches the tiebreaker for the Lakers (better division record) and gives them a commanding 2.5-game lead over the Warriors, while also keeping L.A. in the hunt to reach No. 8 should the Kings lose to OKC

Star Watch

• Lakers: LeBron James (flu) and Anthony Davis (eye) are listed as questionable tonight. In two games against Golden State this season, LeBron has averaged a triple-double (38 ppg, 14 rpg, 10.5 apg), while AD has averaged 21 and 10 over three games
• Warriors: Steph Curry has nearly matched LeBron’s scoring in the matchup at 36.3 ppg as he’s led the way for Golden State. The Splash Bros. have combined to average 10 3-pointers made across the three-game series so far

What They’re Saying

• D’Angelo Russell: “For us, I think we just finish these games strong and whoever we match up with, we go full force. … I like our chances versus anybody.”
• Klay Thompson: “I think we’re playing the best brand of basketball we have played all season and I am going to be very confident going into the Play-In.”

Tonight could be a dress rehearsal for that must-win game.

5. CHASING HISTORY … ONE WEEK AWAY

In case you need to get pumped up for the postseason, this 2.5-minute video should get you ready. Or if you have time, last season’s 31 episodes are available to relive the road to Denver’s first NBA title.

As 20 teams get ready to begin their quest for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, we’ll be there every step of the way with behind-the-scenes footage and in-depth access from the Play-In through every round of the Playoffs, culminating at The Finals.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear from the biggest names in the game.

• LeBron James: “Y’all know this is my time of the year, man.”
• Giannis Antetokounmpo: “Do you really want this? Do you have it in you? And every day, I say yes, I do want it.”
• Jaylen Brown: “Coming up short, it only makes you hungrier for the next moment.”
• Anthony Edwards: “I think we’re gonna be a problem.”
• Chet Holmgren: “We want to be that team, where we have the target on our back.”
• Tyrese Haliburton: “I didn’t watch those superhero movies. I don’t have like Superman. I have ‘Bron and KD, those are my superheroes.”
• Paolo Banchero: “You just see what your idols have accomplished and you just think, what if that’s me, or can that be me?”
• Zion Williamson: “I want to win. People that get remembered are the winners.”

Guiding the journey is three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, who will narrate the series.

The first episode drops on April 15, on the eve of the opening games of the SoFi Play-In Tournament.