Who will win No. 1 seed in Western Conference? Experts weigh in on tight race between Wolves, Thunder, Nuggets

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The calendar has flipped to March, which means there is only a month and a half until the end of the regular season on April 14. While the Boston Celtics are running away with the Eastern Conference, the race for the top spot in the Western Conference looks likely to be a photo finish. 

Here’s a quick refresh of where things stand entering Friday night’s slate of games:

The Clippers have lost three of their four games since the All-Star break to fall behind the rest of the pack and are in trouble when it comes to potential tiebreakers, so this may end up being a three-team race down the stretch. As it stands, the Timberwolves hold a narrow lead over both the Thunder and the defending champion Nuggets, but just 1.5 games separate those three contenders.

Here’s how the four teams have fared against each other this season:

Timberwolves

vs. Thunder: 2-2, no games remainingvs. Nuggets: 1-0, three games remainingvs. Clippers: 2-0, two games remaining

Thunder

vs. Timberwolves: 2-2, no games remainingvs. Nuggets: 3-1, no games remainingvs. Clippers: 2-1, no games remaining

Nuggets

vs. Timberwolves: 0-1, three games remainingvs. Thunder: 1-3, no games remainingvs. Clippers: 2-1, one game remaining

Clippers

vs. Timberwolves: 0-2, two games remainingvs. Thunder: 1-2, no games remainingvs. Nuggets: 1-2, one game remaining

As the action continues, here’s who our experts think will finish with the No. 1 seed in the West. 

Jack Maloney: Denver Nuggets

This is extremely difficult to call at the moment, but after much deliberation, I’m going with the defending champions. First and foremost, I think the Nuggets are the best team out of this bunch and have the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic. And while they are currently in third, a 1.5-game deficit is certainly possible to make up in six weeks, especially with three games remaining against the Timberwolves. 

Furthermore, it appears the Nuggets are ready to kick into gear after spending much of the season in cruise control. They are 5-0 since the All-Star break with an average margin of victory of 15.6…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/who-will-win-no-1-seed-in-western-conference-experts-weigh-in-on-tight-race-between-wolves-thunder-nuggets/

Author : Jack Maloney

Publish date : 2024-03-01 16:30:22

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