Day 14 of the NBA's season restart in Orlando sees eight teams hit the court, with more than a few exciting storylines to watch out for.
The Denver Nuggets an LA Clippers battle it out, with the no.2 seed in the West up for grabs, while the Pacers, Rockets, 76ers, Heat, and Thunder are all jostling for playoff position in their respective Conferences.
Here's a rundown of the standings and everything at stake in Thursday's four-game slate.
All win probabilities are per FiveThirtyEight's NBA Predictions model. All times in IST
Indiana Pacers vs. Houston Rockets - 1:30 a.m.
Win probability: Rockets - 64%
Both teams are still jostling for final playoff position, with the Pacers 1.0 game back of the fourth-seed Miami Heat, who they will face in their final seeding game.
Meanwhile, Houston are currently fourth in West, 1.5 games back of the Denver Nuggets. If the Rockets win their two remaining seeding games and the Nuggets lose their final two games, Houston will leapfrog them for third in the West.
Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers - 4:00 a.m.
Win probability: Raptors - 73%
The Raptors are locked into the no.2 seed in the Eastern Conference, so for them, this game will be more about conditioning and preparing for their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.
The 76ers' are 1.0 game back of the Pacers and still have a chance to finish fifth if results go their way, but if they lose this game OR the Pacers beat the Rockets, they'll be locked into the no.6 seed and face the Boston Celtics in the first round.
Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - 5:30 a.m.
Win probability: Heat - 64%
After the 76ers' loss to the Suns, the Heat are guaranteed to finish no lower than fifth in the East and they can lock up the no.4 seed with a win in either of their two remaining seeding games OR if the Pacers lose one more game. (They play the Pacers in their final seeding game). Miami holds the tiebreaker over both the Pacers and 76ers.
OKC is in the thick of the logjam in the middle of the Western Conference, currently fifth, 1.0 game back of the Rockets and 0.5 of a game up on the Utah Jazz. If the Thunder lose their remaining two seeding games and the Jazz beat the Spurs, OKC will fall to the sixth seed.
Denver Nuggets vs. LA Clippers - 6:30 a.m.
Win probability: Clippers - 64%
The Clippers currently hold a 1.5 game lead on the Nuggets and can secure the no.2 seed in the West with a win in this game.
The Nuggets hold a 1.5 game lead on the no.4 seed Houston Rockets and if they beat the Clippers, they would earn the tiebreaker against LA, meaning they could still sneak into the no.2 seed if they win their final seeding game and the Clippers lose theirs.
Current Standings
| EAST | WEST | ||||||||
| TEAM | W | L | GB | TEAM | W | L | GB | ||
| 1 | x - Milwaukee Bucks | 56 | 16 | - | 1 | x - Los Angeles Lakers | 52 | 18 | - |
| 2 | x - Toronto Raptors | 51 | 19 | 4.0 | 2 | x - LA Clippers | 47 | 23 | 5 |
| 3 | x - Boston Celtics | 48 | 23 | 7.5 | 3 | x - Denver Nuggets | 46 | 25 | 6.5 |
| 4 | x - Miami Heat | 44 | 27 | 11.5 | 4 | x - Houston Rockets | 44 | 26 | 8.0 |
| 5 | x - Indiana Pacers | 43 | 28 | 12.5 | 5 | x - Oklahoma City Thunder | 43 | 27 | 9 |
| 6 | x - Philadelphia 76ers | 42 | 29 | 13.5 | 6 | x - Utah Jazz | 43 | 28 | 9.5 |
| 7 | x - Brooklyn Nets | 35 | 36 | 20.5 | 7 | x - Dallas Mavericks | 43 | 31 | 11 |
| 8 | x - Orlando Magic | 32 | 40 | 24 | 8 | Portland Trail Blazers | 34 | 39 | 19.5 |
| 9 | e - Washington Wizards | 24 | 47 | 31.5 | 9 | Memphis Grizzlies | 33 | 39 | 20 |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | 33 | 39 | 20 | |||||
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | 32 | 38 | 20 | |||||
| 12 | e - Sacramento Kings | 30 | 41 | 22.5 | |||||
| 13 | e - New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 41 | 22.5 |
x - clinched playoff berth; e - eliminated
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