After a busy opening few days of seeding games at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the action continues with a six-game slate.
The race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference is heating up, thanks to early wins from the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers, while the Memphis Grizzlies have dropped their opening two games.
With six games on deck, which games have the biggest impact? Below, find an updated look at the standings as well as a rundown of what each game means.
| EAST | WEST | ||||||||
| TEAM | W | L | GB | Team | W | L | GB | ||
| 1 | x - Milwaukee Bucks | 54 | 13 | - | 1 | x - Los Angeles Lakers | 50 | 15 | |
| 2 | x - Toronto Raptors | 47 | 18 | 6.0 | 2 | x - LA Clippers | 45 | 21 | 5.5 |
| 3 | x - Boston Celtics | 44 | 22 | 9.5 | 3 | x - Denver Nuggets | 43 | 23 | 7.5 |
| 4 | x - Miami Heat | 42 | 24 | 11.5 | 4 | x - Houston Rockets | 42 | 24 | 8.5 |
| 5 | x - Indiana Pacers | 40 | 26 | 13.5 | 5 | x - Utah Jazz | 42 | 24 | 8.5 |
| 6 | x - Philadelphia 76ers | 39 | 27 | 14.5 | 6 | x - Oklahoma City Thunder | 41 | 24 | 9.0 |
| 7 | Orlando Magic | 32 | 35 | 22 | 7 | x- Dallas Mavericks | 40 | 29 | 12.0 |
| 8 | Brooklyn Nets | 31 | 35 | 22.5 | 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 32 | 35 | 19.0 |
| 9 | Washington Wizards | 24 | 42 | 29.5 | 9 | San Antonio Spurs | 29 | 36 | 21.0 |
| 10 | Portland Trail Blazers | 30 | 38 | 21.5 | |||||
| 11 | New Orleans Pelicans | 28 | 38 | 22.5 | |||||
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | 28 | 38 | 22.5 | |||||
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | 28 | 39 | 23.0 |
x – Clinched Playoffs Berth
Race for the eighth seed
Memphis Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 4:00 a.m.
With the Dallas Mavericks clinching their playoff berth, that leaves just one remaining spot in the post-season in the Western Conference.
Both the Grizzlies and Pelicans are in search of their first win in the bubble and all eyes will be on the matchup between rookie sensations Ja Morant and Zion Williamson.
If the Pelicans are going to be a threat for the post-season, a win over the Grizzlies will go a long way to getting the ball rolling. As it stands they're 3.5 games back of the eighth seed and neither team can afford to start 0-3 in the bubble.
Get your popcorn ready!
San Antonio Spurs vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 5:30 a.m.
The Spurs entered the bubble 11th in the Western Conference standings, but after picking up wins in their opening two seeding games they're right in the mix to sneak into the post-season.
Following Sunday's results, they are just 2.0 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies in ninth and half a game in front of the Portland Trail Blazers, who sit 10th in the West.
Meanwhile, the 76ers are in search of their first win in the seeding games, looking to bounce back from their opening defeat at the hands of the Pacers. The 76ers are still in play to secure a top-four finish in the East, but they'll need to start with a win in this game as they're currently one game back of the Pacers and 3.0 games back of the fourth-seed Miami Heat.
Figuring out the East
Indiana Pacers vs. Washington Wizards, 1:30 a.m.
The Pacers' opening seeding game win over the 76ers clinched the season series (3-1), giving them the tie-breaker over Philly in the race for playoff seeding.
They're currently 2.0 games back of the Miami Heat in fourth, while the Wizards remain outside the playoff picture 7.0 games back of the Brooklyn Nets.
Washington is 0-2 so far in the seeding games and needs to finish within 4.0 games of the eighth seed to force a play-in situation. Even if the Nets go winless through the rest of the seeding games, the Wizards need to go at least 3-3 in their remaining six games to get to within 4.0 games.
Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat, 11:00 p.m. (Monday, Aug. 3)
The Raptors have a firm grip on the second seed in the East, but the Boston Celtics aren't far behind, sitting in third, just 3.5 games back.
Coming off an impressive win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Raptors will be looking to get their first win over the Heat this season, having dopped the previous two encounters.
Miami is in the midst of logjam in the middle of the East, with the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers looking to topple the Heat for the fourth seed. They will be sweating on the availability of Jimmy Butler, who missed their last practice, while Bam Adebayo (quadriceps) and Goran Dragic (back) are both probable.
Jockeying for position in the West
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz, 6:30 a.m.
The Lakers have all but stitched up the No.1 seed in the Western Conference, but their main priority is finding chemistry and defining the roles of their supporting cast. Coming off a disappointing loss to the Raptors, expect a bounceback performance from Anthony Davis, who shot just 2-of-7 from the filed in 35 minutes.
After dropping their second seeding game to the Oklahoma City Thunder, coupled with the Houston Rockets' 2-0 start, the Jazz have dropped from the four seed to the fifth seed.
They don't have time to waste in Orlando and need to string some wins together, considering the logjam in the middle of the standings. On top of that, they are on the losing side of the tie-breaker with both the Rockets and Thunder.
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 1:30 a.m.
Both teams have secured their spots in the playoffs, but there's plenty of room for movement in the standings out West.
The Nuggets are currently third, with both the Rockets and Jazz just 1.0 game back, while the Thunder are 1.5 games back in sixth. The Nuggets and Thunder split their first two meetings this season, so the result from this matchup could prove vital in determining the final standings via tie-breaker.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
