NBA Western Conference standings, explained: Updated scenarios for Lakers, Nuggets and more in logjam

NBA Western Conference standings, explained: Updated scenarios for Lakers, Nuggets and more in logjam originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With the 2025-26 NBA season set to finish on Sunday night, four Western teams are still pending final playoff seeds.

This season, two teams in each of the Western Conference playoffs and the play-in will have reason to play well, just before the playoffs.

The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers make up the last two teams in the playoffs to await either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. For the play-in, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers will round out the pecking order for the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.

Here's how the final set of games can shape up for four Western Conference teams battling for their bona fide playoff seeds.

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NBA Western Conference standings, explained

Here is a look at the Western Conference standings through Saturday. Heading into the final day of the regular season, only six of the 10 total seeds are decided. Here's how the Western Conference playoff standings currently sit.

Key: *: clinched seed; **: playoff/play-in spot in question

MORE:What seed will the Lakers finish in?

NBA Western Conference playoff scenarios

With one game left for the entire league, four teams in the Western Conference still have a question mark surrounding their final seed heading into the playoffs. Two teams in the playoff picture will know where they stack up preceding their games, while two teams in the play-in will have to wait for the preliminary tournament matchup. Here's the rundown on each team's scenarios.

MORE:Live NBA playoff picture tracker

Nuggets playoff scenarios 2026

The Nuggets can clinch the No. 3 seed in the West with a win against the Spurs. The Spurs are a familiar foe to Denver in relation to their playoff seeding. At the end of the 2024 regular season, the Spurs defeated the Nuggets, costing them the No. 1 seed in the conference.

If Denver is unsuccessful against San Antonio and the Lakers win, they will fall to the No. 4 seed. If both the Nuggets and Lakers lose, the Nuggets will still own the No. 3 seed.

Lakers playoff scenarios 2026

The Lakers find themselves in the passenger seat in controlling their playoff destiny, as they need the Nuggets to lose. Along with this, the Lakers need to beat the Jazz, which shouldn't be an incredibly difficult task, to jump to the No. 3 seed. However, Los Angeles will be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves due to injury.

If the Nuggets were to win, the Lakers would automatically earn the No. 4 seed, regardless of their result against Utah.

Trail Blazers playoff scenarios 2026

With their 19-point win against the Clippers on Friday night, the Blazers control their own destiny en route to the No. 8 seed in the Play-In Tournament. With a win against the Kings on Sunday night, the Blazers will clinch the second play-in spot and will need to win two games in the tournament to earn their final playoff spot.

Clippers playoff scenarios 2026

Despite starting the 2025-2026 campaign with a whopping 6-21 record, the Clippers came around and kept their head above water. While they could have been in the driver's seat to finish at the No. 8 seat, they were blown out by the Blazers on Friday night. Los Angeles needs the Blazers to fall to Sacramento and to beat the Warriors, in order have any shot of finishing as the No. 8 seed.

If the Blazers win, the Clippers will automatically finish as the No. 9 seed for the play-in tournament.

MORE:When do the 2026 NBA Playoffs begin?

NBA Western Conference schedule April 12