08-11-2020, 06:09 AM
After the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz had dueling tank-offs in their respective games Monday afternoon, the playoff picture -- as well as Oklahoma City's quest to keep its first-round draft pick -- remains as muddled as it was at the start of the day.
The Thunder sat several starters, including Steven Adams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, for their game against the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz sat Donovan Mitchell and then pulled the rest of their starters at halftime of their game against the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams lost, keeping OKC a half-game ahead of Utah in the standings.
Oklahoma City won the season series between the teams 2-1, and the Thunder will finish fifth in the Western Conference if Utah loses its finale on Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs and the Mavericks lose one of their final two games (against Portland on Wednesday and Phoenix on Thursday).
The Jazz could still move up to fifth, but that would require them to beat the Spurs and have the Thunder lose out. Utah also could fall to seventh if Dallas beats Portland on Wednesday and Phoenix on Thursday and Utah loses to the Spurs.
Even if the Jazz finish sixth, they're not guaranteed of avoiding the Houston Rockets, who have knocked Utah out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Houston could move up to the 3-seed by winning out (against the Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers) and having Denver lose two of its final three (against the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Toronto Raptors).
Denver also could still pass the Clippers for the 2-seed, so the Nuggets have plenty to play for -- though they didn't look like it when they sat Nikola Jokic, Jamal Miurray, Paul Millsap, Michael Porter Jr., and Paul Millsap for the entire fourth quarter after playing the Los Angeles Lakers to a tie through three quarters Monday night.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, still has a chance to keep the top-20 protected pick it traded to the 76ers back on Nov. 1, 2016, for forward Jerami Grant. The Thunder, after Monday's loss, sit in a three-way tie for 21st in the NBA's draft standings with the Miami Heat and the Pacers -- who play each other Monday night.
To get into the top 20, the Thunder will need to have two of the four teams behind them -- the Jazz, 76ers, Mavericks and the loser of the Heat-Pacers matchup -- tie or pass them by the end of the week to guarantee themselves at a least a shot of keeping their pick in this year's NBA draft.
Oklahoma City is at least partially in control of that destiny, as it plays Miami on Wednesday before finishing up with the Clippers on Friday. So, if Indiana wins Monday and the Thunder lose their remaining games, the Thunder are guaranteed of, at minimum, a coin flip with the Jazz for the 20th spot in the league's draft order. -- Tim Bontemps
The Thunder sat several starters, including Steven Adams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, for their game against the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz sat Donovan Mitchell and then pulled the rest of their starters at halftime of their game against the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams lost, keeping OKC a half-game ahead of Utah in the standings.
Oklahoma City won the season series between the teams 2-1, and the Thunder will finish fifth in the Western Conference if Utah loses its finale on Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs and the Mavericks lose one of their final two games (against Portland on Wednesday and Phoenix on Thursday).
The Jazz could still move up to fifth, but that would require them to beat the Spurs and have the Thunder lose out. Utah also could fall to seventh if Dallas beats Portland on Wednesday and Phoenix on Thursday and Utah loses to the Spurs.
Even if the Jazz finish sixth, they're not guaranteed of avoiding the Houston Rockets, who have knocked Utah out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Houston could move up to the 3-seed by winning out (against the Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers) and having Denver lose two of its final three (against the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Toronto Raptors).
Denver also could still pass the Clippers for the 2-seed, so the Nuggets have plenty to play for -- though they didn't look like it when they sat Nikola Jokic, Jamal Miurray, Paul Millsap, Michael Porter Jr., and Paul Millsap for the entire fourth quarter after playing the Los Angeles Lakers to a tie through three quarters Monday night.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, still has a chance to keep the top-20 protected pick it traded to the 76ers back on Nov. 1, 2016, for forward Jerami Grant. The Thunder, after Monday's loss, sit in a three-way tie for 21st in the NBA's draft standings with the Miami Heat and the Pacers -- who play each other Monday night.
To get into the top 20, the Thunder will need to have two of the four teams behind them -- the Jazz, 76ers, Mavericks and the loser of the Heat-Pacers matchup -- tie or pass them by the end of the week to guarantee themselves at a least a shot of keeping their pick in this year's NBA draft.
Oklahoma City is at least partially in control of that destiny, as it plays Miami on Wednesday before finishing up with the Clippers on Friday. So, if Indiana wins Monday and the Thunder lose their remaining games, the Thunder are guaranteed of, at minimum, a coin flip with the Jazz for the 20th spot in the league's draft order. -- Tim Bontemps