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The NBA’s Western Conference is absolutely loaded this season. All 10 teams that made it into the play-in tournament finished the regular season with at least 10 games over .500.
With the first play-in games earlier this week, the Golden State Warriors were eliminated in their loss to the Sacramento Kings. That leaves nine teams hungry to advance deep into the playoffs and claim the NBA Title.
Let’s take a look at each of the first-round playoffs matchups in the West.
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans/Sacramento Kings
The Pelicans (49-33, 30-22 West) and Kings (46-36, 30-22 West) will face off on Friday to determine who earns the right to face the top-seeded Thunder (57-25, 36-16 West).
stage is set.
Play-In Game presented by @kpthrive pic.twitter.com/1yqS5yqmD8— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 19, 2024
New Orleans will have to survive without their marquee man in Zion Williamson. The power forward injured his hamstring in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Lakers on Tuesday.
Small forward Brandon Ingram, recovering from an injury of his own, will have to lead the Pelicans to the promised land.
The Kings are led by the elite duo of point guard De’Aaron Fox and power forward Domantas Sabonis. Fox averaged 26.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this season. Sabonis led the NBA in rebounds per game, with 13.7, and is sixth in assists per game, with 8.2.
But overcoming a deep and talented Thunder will be a tall task for either team should they win on Friday. With MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge, the Thunder are elite at both offense and defense. They rank third in the NBA in offensive rating and fourth in defensive rating.
Anything other than a Thunder win would be a surprise.
No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers (47-35, 27-25 West) edged the Pelicans 110-106 on Tuesday to earn the No.7 seed – and the right to face the defending NBA champion Nuggets.
Survive and Advance. Playoffs, here we come. pic.twitter.com/QW2M6EoZZZ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 17, 2024
Led by do-it-all center Nikola Jokic, Denver is an offensive powerhouse, ranking fifth in the NBA in offensive rating.
The Lakers will have to dig deep if they want to hang with the Nuggets. They again are led by the ageless LeBron James, who at age 39 is averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game.
However, they rank in the middle of the pack in both offensive and defensive rating. Overcoming a dominant Denver squad will certainly be difficult for Los Angeles.
No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
The Timberwolves (56-26, 37-15 West) are a team loaded with talent. Anthony Edwards has blossomed into a superstar at guard, and twin towers Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert rule the paint.
Offensively, they’re more than solid. But defensively, they’re as good as it gets – Minnesota leads the NBA in defensive rating.
The Suns (49-33, 29-23 West) are ninth in the league in offensive rating, and will look to test that Timberwolves defense. Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant are all exceptional at scoring the basketball, and if they get hot, Minnesota could be in hot water.
This series will be exciting and hard to predict.
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
Winners of seven of their last 10 games, the Mavericks (50-32, 31-21 West) are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. But how will they hold up against a Clippers squad filled to the brim with experience?
The Clips will need star forward Kawhi Leonard to heal quickly from an inflamed right knee. But when Leonard is joined in the starting lineup by fellow veteran stars James Harden and Paul George, Los Angeles is dangerous.
https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1781140708499616059
The Mavs are led by two elite guards: the MVP favorite Luka Doncic and the unguardable Kyrie Irving. Of course, their offense is the star of the show.
But since March 7, when big man Daniel Gafford entered the Dallas starting lineup, the Mavs have had the NBA’s best defense. They will need to keep that up if they want to take out the experienced Clippers.
