BBNBA: Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray, and Towns share a first-place tie with one game remaining

AdamStrattonKSR

Most people predicted Jamal Murray and the defending NBA Champions, the Denver Nuggets, would be in first place in the Western Conference as the season drew to a close, but no one speculated they would be tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder. What Karl-Anthony Towns and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have done to make their teams legitimate contenders in a stacked West is incredible. In SGA’s case, possibly MVP-worthy. And yet, that is exactly where things are.

The Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Thunder are tied atop the Western Conference standings with a record of 56-25 with one game to go. OKC holds the tiebreaker over Minnesota, and the Timberwolves have the tiebreaker over Denver, so if all teams win their final matchup, seeding will go Thunder, Wolves, and Nuggets, in that order.

On Sunday, Denver takes on the tanking Grizzlies, OKC takes on the complacent Mavericks, and the Wolves take on the Phoenix Suns, who are desperate for a win to avoid the play-in game.

Murray did what he could on Friday to make this a moot issue, as a win would have kept them in first place alone, but his 35 points were not enough to get by the San Antonio Spurs, who won on a last-second shot by Devonte Graham of Kansas fame.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 23 points on Friday as the Thunder cruised over a Giannis-less Bucks team, and Karl-Anthony Towns made his Ali-like return to the league with 11 points and eight assists as he eased his way back into action with a win over the Hawks.

Sunday will be a big day in terms of Western Conference playoff seeding.

Former ‘Cats are log-jammed The Eastern Conference too

The Boston Celtics ran away with the Eastern Conference crown this season (and will possibly do the same throughout the playoffs), but for seeds five through eight, it is a log jam.

The Magic, Pacers, and 76ers all share a 46-35 record with the Heat just one game behind them at 45-36. In their final regular season game on Sunday, Orlando plays the Bucks, Indiana takes on the Hawks, Philadelphia battles the Nets, and the Heat try to knock off the Raptors. All four teams are safely in the postseason but the two teams that wind up in the play-in game will need to fight for their playoff lives, potentially against a pesky Bulls team.

Remember when Kentucky was waiting for Billy Donovan?

On Friday, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro combined for 36 points in the Heat’s win over the Raptors to keep things as close as they are.

For the 76ers, Joel Embiid was back, but that didn’t stop Tyrese Maxey from pouring in 28 points in Philly’s 125-113 win over the Magic, as the two teams jockey over playoff position. With the win, the Sixers are tied with the Magic and Pacers in the standings, but find themselves on the bottom end of the tiebreakers. They’ll need a win and a Magic/Pacers loss on Sunday to avoid the play-in game and secure a spot in the playoffs.

Isaiah Jackson and Oscar Tshiebwe did not play for the Pacers, but Oscar has a chance to make the team’s playoff roster.

Other BBNBA Notes:

The Los Angeles Lakers are settled into the play-in game in the West, but Anthony Davis is preparing accordingly. Davis finished with a monstrous 36 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks in the Lake Show’s win over the Grizzlies.
21 points from Devin Booker helped the Phoenix Suns get a comeback win over De’Aaron Fox and the Kings, as those teams battled to avoid the play-in game. The Suns will now need to win and have the Pelicans on Sunday to secure a spot in the playoffs.
While all eyes are on the playoffs, this is the time of year when guys on the bottom of the roster get playing time. For former Kentucky players, Brandon Boston scored 10 points in 24 minutes for the Clippers, Chris Livingston and TyTy Washington chipped in six and two points for the Bucks respectively, and Johnny Juzang started and ended up with 12 points.

BBNBA Statistics for 4/12/2024

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Anthony Davis (LAL)	123-120 W vs. MEM	36	11-22 (1-6)	14	5	1	2	4	+2	43
Jamal Murray (DEN)	120-121 L vs. SAS	35	14-26 (5-11)	5	4	1	0	1	-4	29
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	125-113 W vs. ORL	28	10-19 (5-10)	2	3	0	1	1	+8	40
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	125-107 W vs. MIL	23	7-21 (0-7)	7	3	0	1	0	+10	29
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	107-108 L vs. PHX	23	9-23 (3-8)	5	6	4	0	2	+3	41
Devin Booker (PHX)	108-107 W vs. SAC	21	7-12 (2-4)	4	6	1	0	4	-1	41
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	125-103 W vs. TOR	19	8-10 (1-2)	6	3	0	0	0	+9	25
Tyler Herro (MIA)	125-103 W vs. TOR	17	4-10 (3-6)	3	5	0	0	2	+11	29
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	103-125 L vs. MIA	15	4-11 (3-7)	4	5	0	0	3	-15	30
Johnny Juzang (UTA)	110-109 W vs. LAC	12	4-6 (2-3)	0	2	2	0	1	+10	23
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	109-106 W vs. ATL	11	4-11 (1-6)	5	8	0	1	3	-4	28
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	109-110 L vs. UTA	10	4-12 (0-2)	5	1	1	0	4	0	24
PJ Washington (DAL)	89-107 L vs. DET	9	4-8 (1-3)	3	1	1	0	0	-7	15
Cason Wallace (OKC)	125-107 W vs. MIL	6	2-5 (2-4)	1	2	2	0	0	+25	19
Chris Livingston (MIL)	107-125 L vs. OKC	6	3-3 (0-0)	5	0	0	0	1	-1	14
Trey Lyles (SAC)	107-108 L vs. PHX	3	1-2 (1-2)	2	1	0	0	1	-9	15
TyTy Washington (MIL)	107-125 L vs. OKC	2	1-5 (0-2)	1	2	1	0	0	-1	14
Olivier Sarr (OKC)	125-107 W vs. MIL	0	0-0 (0-0)	1	0	0	0	0	-8	4
Julius Randle (NYK)	111-107 W vs. BRK	DNP-Shoulder
Malik Monk (SAC)	107-108 L vs. PHX	DNP-Knee
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	120-129 L vs. CLE	DNP-Hamstring
Ashton Hagans (POR)	107-116 L vs. HOU	DNP-G League
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	121-120 W vs. DEN	DNP-Foot
Nick Richards (CHA)	98-131 L vs. BOS	DNP-Foot
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	123-120 W vs. MEM	DNP-Foot
Oscar Tshiebwe (IND)	120-129 L vs. CLE	DNP-CD
Jacob Toppin (NYK)	111-107 W vs. BRK	DNP-CD
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	107-116 L vs. HOU	DNP-Abdomen