With less than a month left in the NBA regular season, the battle for seeding in the Western Conference has taken shape after a number of twists and turns created by injuries and blockbuster trades. All along, the Oklahoma City Thunder have separated themselves from the pack through their dominant play.
With a 13-game cushion on three teams tied for second, the Thunder could clinch the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the West playoffs as soon as this week. The Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets are all even in the standings with the Los Angeles Lakers just a game back. One of those teams will have to start the playoffs on the road as the No. 5 seed.
The last key race to watch is for the No. 6 seed, which means avoiding the play-in tournament. The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves have been matching each other win for win, but unless they can catch the Lakers, one will have to reach the playoffs through the play-in.
At the bottom of the West play-in race, there's nothing but sadness, as the Phoenix Suns try to salvage a postseason bid by passing the injury-riddled Dallas Mavericks.
Let's break down which of these teams has the best chance to go on a long playoff run and which team surging in the standings is for real. We'll divide the West into tiers once again, after our last breakdown came a month ago, following the All-Star break.
Jump to a tier:
The clear-cut favorite
Ready for a deep run (if healthy)
Play-in feels about right
A two-team battle for No. 10
Lottery lookahead
Tier 1: The clear-cut favorite
Current record: 56-12 (first in the West)
Record since Feb. 17 check-in: 12-2
Tier change: 