NBA Standings 2019: Warriors Maintain No.1 Seed, Rockets, Thunder, Blazers Vying For Key No.3 Seed

The Golden State Warriors (46-21) picked up a key victory Wednesday night without the injured Kevin Durant. The defending champions defeated the Houston Rockets (42-26) 106-104 on the road, extending their lead atop the Western Conference.

Golden State now has a 1.5-game lead over the Denver Nuggets (44-22) for the No.1 seed in the conference. They all but ended Houston’s chances of being able to climb to the top of the West standings. A victory would’ve put the Rockets just 2.5 games behind the Warriors, but they instead dropped to the No.4 seed.

The Rockets still have a lot on the line with the regular season winding down. They own the same record as the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-26), who have the tiebreaker for the No.3 seed. The Portland Trail Blazers (41-26) are just a half-game back as the No.5 seed.

The difference between finishing third in the West and ending up fourth or fifth is a big one. Assuming Golden State holds onto the No.1 seed, the No.3 seed will be able to avoid playing the Warriors until the Western Conference Finals. The No.4 and No.5 seed will face off in the first round, and the winner will be forced into a matchup with Golden State in the second round.

After taking the Warriors to seven games in last year’s conference finals, the Rockets might be Golden State’s biggest threat, once again, despite what the standings say. Houston has performed like an elite team after a slow start, going 33-12—a 60-win-pace—in their last 45 games.

Seeding is really the only question that remains when it comes to the West playoff picture. A half-game separates the No.6 seed San Antonio Spurs (39-29), No.7 seed Utah Jazz (38-29) and No.8 seed Los Angeles Clippers (39-30).

The Sacramento Kings (33-33) are 4.5 games behind Los Angeles with 14 games left.