SAN ANTONIO — Things got a little rough out west Friday night.
The Denver Nuggets' 121-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs and wins for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves mean a three-way tie for first place in the Western Conference heading into the final day of the NBA regular season.
On Wednesday, the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves to take a one-game lead over Minnesota vs. Oklahoma City. This makes the reigning NBA champions the favorite to earn the No. 1 seed in the West playoffs.
But everything changed after Spurs guard Devonte Graham's 5-foot runner in the lane scored past Nuggets guard Jamal Murray with 0.9 points remaining. The Spurs forced a five-second count on the ensuing inbounds play, clinching the victory.
“It's disappointing. I mean, it's really disappointing,” Nuggets manager Michael Malone said. “We are in control of our own destiny and we just gave back with what we accomplished on Wednesday night, you know what I mean?”
On Sunday, the Nuggets play the Grizzlies in Memphis, the Thunder take on the Dallas Mavericks, and the Timberwolves take on the Phoenix Suns.
For Denver, the only way to regain the top seed is if both Oklahoma City and Minnesota lose on Sunday.
“It's easy to rise up from Minnesota,” Malone said. “So our guys were solid, focused, serious, and I don't think we had the same approach tonight. You had a chance to get the No. 1 seed, but , now obviously we're more likely to get it.''
This will be the first time in NBA history that three teams will have the same record through 81 games and a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences.
Denver led San Antonio by 23 points before the Spurs fought back. Not only was it San Antonio's biggest comeback of the season, it was also the Nuggets' biggest collapse of the 2023-24 season. It was also Denver's second-largest lead blowout in the past 25 seasons.
In Oklahoma City, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault learned of the Nuggets' loss as he was walking off the court at Paycom Center after a 125-107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Matt Tumbleson, the Thunder's vice president of basketball communications, informed Dynor of the upset and issued a warning.
“He said, 'This is all.' [the media] You want to talk about it, and you guys are really delivering on that,” Daigneault deadpanned. We must run across the finish line. ”
Thunder rookie center Chet Holmgren insists with a straight face that he's not thinking about playoff seeding and is mentally preparing for Saturday's practice.
“Everything else that happens is outside of our control,” Holmgren said. “We're going to focus on what we can control.”
Elsewhere in the Western world, little was decided after Friday's game. The only confirmed matchup is a 4-5 matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Mavericks, but the series becomes even more intriguing as the winner could potentially avoid the defending champions in the second round. .
New Orleans defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-109 on the road, giving the Pelicans the No. 6 seed and putting themselves in the driver's seat to avoid the play-in tournament. Zion Williamson had 26 points and a career-high six steals, helping New Orleans win its fourth straight game.
“Zion was great,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “It was incredible to watch. It never gets old.”
CJ McCollum continued to perform well, scoring a team-high 28 points on 8 of 13 3-point shots. McCollum has made 29-of-47 from long range over the last three games, making him just the fifth player in NBA history to make that many threes in four games.
The Pelicans host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday for a chance to reach 50 wins for the second time in franchise history. If the Pelicans win, they will be the 6th seed.
New Orleans had a chance to lock up the No. 6 seed on Friday night, but the Suns held on to their hopes of avoiding the play-in with a 108-107 come-from-behind victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Phoenix is one game behind New Orleans in the standings but holds the tiebreaker. The Suns would finish sixth if the Suns win and the Pelicans lose, and seventh if the Pelicans win or both teams lose on Sunday.
The Lakers faced a tough test Friday against the injury-riddled Grizzlies, unable to seal a 123-120 victory until the final moments. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both played over 40 minutes.
A win against the Pelicans could change the Lakers' standing in the Western Conference play-in race. Asked about his workload, James simply said, “I'll be ready on Sunday.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said his team has to treat the end of the regular season like there's no tomorrow.
“We all understand what's at stake,” Hamm said. “We have to push for it, but we can't worry about what will happen.” [next]. …Everyone knows what time it is. It’s that time of year again, dude. No matter what it takes, no matter how long you have to push the players, it has to happen. And they all understand that. ”
The Lakers are currently the 8th seed in the West with 46 wins and 35 losses, while the Kings and Warriors are 45 wins and 36 losses. The Kings won the tiebreaker against the Warriors.
If the Lakers defeat the Pelicans on Sunday, they will stay in eighth place and have two chances to make the playoffs through the play-in tournament.
Sacramento finishes the season by hosting the Portland Trail Blazers, while Golden State hosts the Utah Jazz. The Kings and Warriors split the season series, but since they are in the same division, the next tiebreaker will be on division record, favoring the Kings (10-7 to 7-9).
All Western Conference games on Sunday will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET.