Western Standing for the last spot and play-in:
- Blazers finally caught Memphis and took the 8 spot.
- Memphis now a 1/2 game out in 9th
- Phoenix a 1/2 game out tied for 9th
- Spurs a 1/2 game out tied for 9th record wise but behind in winning %
Schedule for today and tomorrow in game schedule order:
- Memphis plays Milwaukee today. Mil likely to rest their stars. Memphis will need to turn it around to win this game even against Mil's bench players.
- Phx plays Dallas. Dallas likely to rest Luka and probably other top players. Phx likely to win since they're playing great in the bubble and playing for their playoff lives.
- Spurs play Utah. Utah may rest its top players so Spurs could pull off a win.
- Blazers play Brooklyn today. Probably Blazer win but Brooklyn isn't a pushover.
Of the 4 teams, the greatest pressure is on Memphis since they play first (same start time as Phx) and won't know how they stand as the games wrap up. While none of the 4 teams is likely to face an opponent playing at full strength, none of the teams they're facing are pushovers so wins are not guaranteed. The opposition would probably use knocking someone out of the playoffs in the last game as a great motivator to play hard.
on a side note, Orlando can no longer help the C's with their draft position against Memphis. should both Orlando and Memphis make the playoffs, Orlando cannot catch Mem's record so if Mem makes the playoffs, they will pass the 16th pick to the C's with no chance at 15. C's need Mem to miss the play-in game (or lose it) to ensure the pick is the 14th.