NBA Standings 2020: Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, OKC Thunder Competing For Better Playoff Seeding

Six Western Conference playoff berths have been clinched, and the seventh seed has all but been secured ahead of the NBA’s return. That doesn’t mean those teams in the postseason have nothing to play for in their remaining regular-season games set to be played in Orlando, Florida.

The eight “seeding games” that teams are scheduled to play in the NBA’s Disney “bubble” could shake up the playoff picture. Teams currently seeded No.2 through No.7 in the West are separated by fewer than six games.

The Los Angeles Lakers have all but secured the top spot in the West with a 5.5-game lead over the No.2 seed L.A. Clippers. The Clippers are 1.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets.

Anything can happen with the next three seeds. The No.4 seed Utah Jazz are 1.5 games behind Denver and a game ahead of the No.5 seed Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder and Houston Rockets own the same record, but the tiebreaker puts Houston at sixth in the conference.

The Rockets have three fewer losses than the No.7 seed Dallas Mavericks. Dallas is seven games in front of the No.8 seed Memphis Grizzlies.

Now that home-court advantage won’t be in play, postseason seeding doesn’t mean nearly as much as it usually does. Moving up in the standings to avoid a difficult first-round matchup, however, could still give teams plenty of motivation.

The No.3 seed will face the No.6 seed in the conference quarterfinals. This could very well mean the No.6 seed will take on the Clippers, whom many believe are the best team in the West.

Avoiding a first-round matchup with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the NBA’s deepest roster is probably a good idea.

Prior to the league’s suspension, Houston might have been the best bet to keep the No.6 seed. Seemingly running on fumes, the Rockets suffered four losses in their last five games, including a 15-point defeat at the hands of the Clippers that was much more one-sided than the final score indicated.

A refreshed James Harden and Russell Westbrook could certainly give the Rockets a top-four seed in Orlando. A first-round matchup against the Jazz would be more favorable than having to face the Clippers or the Nuggets.

Houston has eliminated the Jazz from the playoffs in two straight seasons, needing only five games to do so each year. Houston is 2-1 against Utah this season with its only loss coming on a buzzer-beater.

A first-round matchup between the Rockets and Thunder would certainly be interesting, following last summer’s Russell Westbrook-for-Chris Paul trade. Houston defeated Oklahoma City in the 2017 playoffs when Westbrook was still with the Thunder.