Wolves

Timberwolves-Nuggets game has huge playoff implications

The Wolves and Nuggets meet tonight in Denver, and the Nuggets have a chance to tie the Wolves in the standings and get into playoff position.

By Chris Miller

April 5, 2018 at 3:42PM

3:41

The Timberwolves meet the Nuggets tonight in Denver (9:30 p.m.) in a game with obvious playoff implications — the Wolves (44-34) are tied for seventh in the Western Conference and Denver (43-45) is ninth.

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Here are the seven teams battling for the five remaining Western Conference spots:

Team W-L Pct. GB

4. Utah 45 33 .571 —
5. San Antonio 45 34 .584 —
6. Oklahoma City 45 34 .577 ½
7. Timberwolves 44 34 .564 1
8. New Orleans 44 34 .558 1
9. Denver 43 35 .545 2
10. L.A. Clippers 42 36 .532 3

The first tiebreaker for two teams is head-to-head record. The Wolves are 4-0 vs. L.A. Clippers and New Orleans; 3-1 vs. Oklahoma City; 2-2 vs. Utah; 2-0 vs. Denver with two games remaining; and 1-2 vs. San Antonio.

Timberwolves remaining games: at L.A. Lakers on Friday, home vs. Memphis on Monday, home vs. Denver on Wednesday.

The Clippers are at Utah tonight in another big Western matchup.

From our friends at the Associated Press:
First-round matchups if the season was over now:
East: 1-Toronto vs. 8-Milwaukee, 2-Boston vs. 7-Washington, 3-Cleveland vs. 6-Miami, 4-Philadelphia vs. 5-Indiana.
West: 1-Houston vs. 8-New Orleans, 2-Golden State vs. 7-Minnesota, 3-Portland vs. 6-Oklahoma City, 4-Utah vs. 5-San Antonio.

The AP also reported a seven-way tie for fourth in the West is still possible, with everyone at 46-36. If that were to happen, one team with that record would get home-court advantage and two teams with that record would miss the playoffs entirely.

about the writer

Chris Miller

Editor

Chris Miller supervises coverage of professional sports teams. He has been at the Minnesota Star Tribune since 1999 and is a former sports editor of the Duluth News-Tribune and the Mesabi Daily News.