Thanks to the Minnesota Timberwolves, we still have no idea what the Western Conference playoffs are going to look like, with only two games left for every team involved.
Behind 44 points from Anthony Edwards, the T-wolves blew out the Memphis Grizzlies 141-125 on Thursday to move into a tie for sixth place in the West. There are now six teams — Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors — within two games of each other in the standings.
Each team will play two more times, on Friday and Sunday, with possible outcomes ranging from hosting a playoff series to the play-in tournament.
The Timberwolves entered Thursday needing a win, otherwise they would have been left on the brink of a play-in spot. After a close first half, Edwards obliged, leading his team on a 29-7 run to open the third quarter.
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Notably, the Grizzlies were playing without rookie Jaylen Wells, their standout rookie who would have likely drawn the defensive assignment against Edwards. Wells is out indefinitely after breaking his wrist in a scary fall on Tuesday.
Edwards got his 44 points on 13-of-19 shooting, while Julius Randle contributed 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Ja Morant had 36 points and six assists for the Grizzlies.
Memphis is now 3-4 since firing head coach Taylor Jenkins, the shock of the NBA season until the Denver Nuggets parted ways with Michael Malone on Tuesday.
Thursday's result leaves the Western Conference playoffs with plenty to figure out this weekend. We know the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets will be taking the top two seeds. We know the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks will be playing each other in the lower play-in game.
After that, well ...
Western Conference standings after April 10
1. Oklahoma City Thunder, 66-14
2. Houston Rockets, 52-28 (14 games back)
3. Los Angeles Lakers, 49-31 (17 GB)
4. Denver Nuggets, 48-32 (18 GB)
5. Los Angeles Clippers, 48-32 (18 GB)
6. Golden State Warriors, 47-33 (19 GB)
7. Memphis Grizzlies, 47-33 (19 GB)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves, 47-33 (19 GB)
9. Sacramento Kings, 39-41 (27 GB)
10. Dallas Mavericks, 38-42 (28 GB)
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