NBA Standings 2019: Warriors Losing Grip On No.1 Seed, Lakers Inch Closer Toward Playoff Spot

The Golden State Warriors (43-18) have plenty of work to do in order to secure the top spot in the Western Conference. After losing to the Miami Heat (27-33) on a Dwyane Wade buzzer-beater Wednesday night, the defending champions saw their lead for the No.1 seed drop to a half-game.

Golden State is tied in the loss column with the Denver Nuggets (42-18). The Nuggets are on a five-game winning streak, and they created more separation between themselves and the No.3 seed Oklahoma City Thunder (38-22) by defeating Russell Westbrook and Co. 121-112 Tuesday night.

The winner of the West is unlikely to have home-court advantage in the 2019 NBA Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks (47-14) have a four-game lead over Golden State for the top spot in the overall NBA standings. The Toronto Raptors (45-17) are 2.5 games ahead of the Warriors.

Milwaukee improved their NBA-best record Wednesday night by defeating the Sacramento Kings (31-30) in overtime 141-140. The Bucks helped LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (30-31), who are looking to overcome the odds and reach the playoffs.

The Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (27-36) and pulled to within a game of the Kings for the West’s No.9 seed. Los Angeles is three games behind the No.8 seed Los Angeles Clippers (34-29), who were defeated by the Utah Jazz (34-26) Wednesday.

The San Antonio Spurs (34-29) are the No.7 seed after beating the Detroit Pistons (29-31).

Los Angeles can’t afford loses against teams like New Orleans, who won’t be going to the postseason. The Lakers have one of the most difficult remaining schedules in the NBA.

The Clippers have an easy schedule to finish the season, though they did trade their best player in Tobias Harris shortly before the All-Star break. The Kings have five games left against the NBA’s bottom-four teams.

The Lakers will face the Bucks Friday night. The two L.A. teams are set to meet in a critical matchup Monday.