The NBA Playoffs marks a clear increase in intensity for competing teams. But the world is getting a taste of that excitement on the regular season's final day.
Some of that can be attributed to the Play-In Tournament, which essentially expanded the postseason to 10 teams in each conference. But there's plenty of drama near the top of the brackets as well.
In the Western Conference, the No. 1 seed is still up for grabs heading into the final game of the regular season, with three teams tied for first place.
The Thunder, Timberwolves and Nuggets are all vying for home court advantage through the Western Conference playoffs.
Denver, Minnesota and Oklahoma City will each enter the final day of the @NBA regular season with the same record of 56-25.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 13, 2024
This marks the first time in league history in which three teams, through 81 games, all have the same record and chance to capture the #1 seed in their…
With all 30 teams playing Sunday and none of the three West leaders facing each other, it's possible that the season ends in a three-way tie for first place. If that's the case, here's an explanation of how the seeds will line up.
MORE: NBA playoff picture 2024: Updated standings, seeding
NBA playoff tiebreakers, explained
The typical procedure for tiebreakers is head-to-head records. Whoever outplayed the other during the regular season earns the higher seed.
The NBA uses this as the initial criteria for a two-way tie. There's a handful of two-way tiebreakers listed in order below.
- Head-to-head record
- Division leader wins tie over non-division winning team
- Division record (if in same division)
- Conference record
- Record vs. playoff teams in own conference
- Record vs. playoff teams in other conference
- Net points in all 82 games
Rarely, if ever, does a tiebreaker reach the latter portion of this list. The teams will often resolve the tie with their head-to-head records.
Complete Western Conference Playoff and Play-In scenarios for tomorrow's games ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/WQ1nLxuiIh
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 13, 2024
It gets more complicated when there's three or more teams tied at the end of the season. The order in which the criteria is applied changes, as do some details.
The initial tiebreaker is whether there is a division leader in the group. If there is, that team earns the top seed. The remaining teams would then apply their head-to-head records to finalize the seeding. Here's how it looks:
- Division leader wins tie over non-division winning team
- Head-to-head record for all teams involved
- Division record (if in same division)
- Conference record
- Record vs. playoff teams in own conference
- Record vs. playoff teams in other conference
- Net points in all 82 games
The Western Conference's top three teams are all in the Northwest Division, so they will follow the second criteria in the event that all teams remained tied at the end of Sunday.
Here's how each of the Thunder, Timberwolves and Nuggets can capture the No. 1 seed.
MORE: TSN's Steph Noh's expert All-NBA selections
How can the Thunder clinch the No. 1 seed?
Oklahoma City is in a great position heading into Sunday's 15-game NBA slate.
The Thunder have a 56-25 record and are scheduled to play the Mavericks, who locked into the No. 5 seed regardless of outcome. It's possible that Dalls will rest starters, setting up an easier matchup for the Thunder.
That's not all. Oklahoma City owns the three-way tiebreaker between the Timberwolves and Nuggets, as the Thunder hold the best head-to-head record between the three teams.
Oklahoma City finished 5-3 against its two competitors for the top seed, while Minnesota went 4-4 and Denver 3-5. If all three teams win or all three teams lose, the Thunder will be the No. 1 seed.
Thunder also would clinch the No. 1 seed if they win and the Timberwolves and Nuggets both lose. And they can secure the top seed if the Thunder and Nuggets win but Timberwolves lose, as they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Nuggets.
In a two-way tiebreaker with the Timberwolves, Minnesota has the advantage. The teams split the season series and have identical 12-4 division records, so it comes down to conference records, which favors Minnesota.
How can the Timberwolves clinch the No. 1 seed?
Like the Thunder, the Timberwolves are in a good spot heading into the final day of the regular season.
Minnesota (56-25) would win two-way tiebreakers against both of its competitors.
The Timberwolves split their season series with the Thunder, and both teams hold the same 12-4 division record. So the criteria for a tiebreaker comes down to conference records, and Minnesota (37-14) holds the advantage over Oklahoma City (35-16).
Denver and Minnesota also split their season series, but the Timberwolves' 12-4 division record trumps the Nuggets' 10-6.
If the Timberwolves finish with a better overall record than the Nuggets and Thunder, they also would grab the top spot.
One disadvantage for Minnesota is the three-way tie, in which case the Thunder will win and the Timberwolves would finish second.
Another disadvantage is Sunday's matchup. The Suns are playing for the No. 6 seed, which would allow them to escape the Play-In Tournament, so they need to win. That could set the Timberwolves up be a much more challenging game than the Thunder and Nuggets will face.
How can the Nuggets clinch the No. 1 seed?
Don't get your hopes up too high, Nuggets fans. It's not a very likely scenario that Denver will be the top seed again.
The Nuggets would lose both two-way tiebreakers that involve them. The team's division record is worse than the Timberwolves, and the Nuggets lost the seasons series 1-3 to the Thunder.
Additionally, the franchise falls in third in the event of a three-way tie. The Thunder would come out on top, as explained above. Then the tiebreaker would reset, and the Nuggets would lose the two-way tiebreaker with the Timberwolves.
There's only one scenario in which the Nuggets could earn the No. 1 seed. They have to win, and the Timberwolves and Thunder have to lose. The Nuggets play an injury-riddled Grizzlies squad, which favors them despite playing away from Denver.
That being said, the Thunder have a favorable matchup against a Mavericks team with nothing on the line. The Timberwolves, also at home, do have a tough matchup with the Suns given Phoenix's aforementioned chances at earning the No. 6 seed.
Prepare to root for the Suns and Mavericks on Sunday as well as your favorite team, Nuggets fans.
NBA Sunday April 14 schedule
| Game | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Wizards at Celtics | 1 p.m. | — |
| Hornets at Cavaliers | 1 p.m. | — |
| Hawks at Pacers | 1 p.m. | — |
| Raptors at Heat | 1 p.m. | — |
| Bulls at Knicks | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Bucks at Magic | 1 p.m. | — |
| Nets at 76ers | 1 p.m. | — |
| Nuggets at Grizzlies | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Suns at Timberwolves | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Lakers at Pelicans | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mavericks at Thunder | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Pistons at Spurs | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Jazz at Warriors | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Rockets at Clippers | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Trail Blazers at Kings | 3:30 p.m. | — |
