The Western Conference is as competitive as ever, especially at the top. With less than a week left in the NBA season, there’s still plenty of uncertainty regarding the placement of the conference’s heavyweights in the playoffs.
The Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder sit in a three-way tie for first place in the West. Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over both squads.
The Nuggets are perfectly aware of the benefits of capturing the top prize in the Western Conference. Just last year, they rode a first-place finish in the regular season to their first-ever NBA title.
The West is no slouch: The Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Suns and Warriors are all vying for the seventh- and eighth-seed in the postseason. But the pathway to a championship is a lot clearer when you nab the No. 1 seed.
Just what does Denver need to do to snag the No. 1 seed? The Sporting News examines the Nuggets’ chances at the top spot.
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Nuggets playoff scenarios 2024
The chances for Mike Malone’s squad to claim the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference hinge on overtaking the Timberwolves and Thunder in the final game of the regular season.
Denver’s final game of the season is against an injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies team on Sunday, April 14. The Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder share the top spot as of April 12 with matching 56-25 records.
Minnesota and Denver split the season series 2-2, so the tiebreaker comes down to division record (since they are both in the Northwest Division). This tiebreaker favors the Timberwolves, who have a 12-4 record in divisional games. The Nuggets divisional record sits at 10-6.
The Thunder, who is also tied for the top seed, won the season series over the Nuggets, thus owning the tiebreaker.
In order for Denver to earn the No. 1 seed, the Nuggets need to win and both the Timberwolves and Thunder need to lose on Sunday.
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Nuggets standings 2024
The Nuggets are tied with the Timberwolves for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 54-24 record. The Thunder are also in the hunt, at just one game back from Minnesota and Denver.
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1 | Timberwolves | 56-25 | — |
| 2 | Nuggets | 56-25 | — |
| 3 | Thunder | 56-25 | — |
| 4 | Clippers | 51-29 | 4.5 |
| 5 | Mavericks | 50-31 | 6 |
| 6 | Pelicans | 48-32 | 7.5 |
| 7 | Suns | 47-33 | 8.5 |
| 8 | Lakers | 46-35 | 10 |
| 9 | Kinga | 45-35 | 10.5 |
| 10 | Warriors | 45-35 | 10.5 |
Nuggets remaining schedule
The Nuggets have four games remaining in the 2023-24 regular season to decide their playoff seeding.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| April 14 | at Grizzlies | 3:30 p.m. |
