The Western Conference playoffs will feature the top 8 teams from the regular season in several best-of-7 series. As of now, no Western Conference teams have clinched a playoff berth, but that will be changing in the coming weeks. The Nuggets, Thunder, and Timberwolves all have -10000 odds to make the playoffs, with the Pelicans and Suns not far behind either.
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What Teams are in the Western Conference NBA?
The Western Conference features fifteen teams, all located in the Western half of the United States. All fifteen teams are competing for a place in the NBA Western Conference playoffs, with the inevitable goal of representing the West in the NBA Finals. Only nine of the fifteen teams in the Western Conference have ever won the NBA Finals, but with the Clippers and Timberwolves both coming in with Top 5 odds to win the West, that list may grow by the end of the season.
How Many Teams from the Western Conference Make the NBA Playoffs?
The Western Conference NBA playoffs will feature eight teams in total. The first six playoff spots will go to the 6 teams with the best regular season records. These teams will fill out the top half of the NBA Western Conference playoff bracket, with the final two spots going to the winners of the play-in tournament. The team with the 7th through 10th best regular season records will compete in a short tournament to decide the final two playoff teams. The winner of the 7th and 8th seeds, which are currently the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks, will get an automatic berth. The loser will go on to a single elimination game between the victor of the 9th and 10th seeds, who are currently the LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
When Do the 2024 NBA Playoffs Start?
The 2024 NBA Playoffs start on April 20th, 2024, with the 3rd through 6th seeds squaring off in the Western Conference. The first play-in games will take place on April 16th and 17th before they wrap up on April 19th. These trio of games will be crucial in determining the final Western Conference NBA playoff teams and will be the final pieces in solidifying the NBA Western Conference playoff bracket.
Western Conference Playoff Seeding
There is still plenty to play for in the Western Conference, as seeding may go a long way in determining the eventual NBA champion. While no teams have solidified their seed yet, the Nuggets, Thunder, and Timberwolves have a 5-game lead over the chasing pack, and they will likely be the one through three seeds, in an undetermined order. There are then just five games separating the 4th-place Clippers and 9th-place Lakers, ensuring there is still lots of jockeying down the final stretch of the season. Securing a top seed not only earns home-court advantage, but it also allows easier matchups for the entire Western Conference NBA playoffs.
NBA Western Conference Playoff Bracket
The Western Conference playoff race is extremely tight, making it impossible to predict the Western Conference playoff bracket. There are just two weeks remaining in the regular season, and as the season winds down, the bracket will be solidified.
Who is Favored to Win the NBA Western Conference?
The Western Conference has several teams capable of challenging for an NBA title, as the top 10 teams all have odds of +3400 or shorter. The defending champions are expected to go back-to-back, but there are plenty of other favorites who will have other plans.
Denver Nuggets +144
The Nuggets won the Western Conference and the NBA championship last season and are expected to make it two straight Finals appearances. Nikola Jokic continues to dominate the league and is the odds-on favorite to win his third MVP award in the last four seasons. His ability to make tough hook shots and keep his head up to find his teammates make the Nuggets offense incredibly hard to slow down. Shooters like Jamal Murray and Micheal Porter Jr ensure defenses get punished if they double-team Jokic, and there are truly no weaknesses on this Denver team. As long as they get a favorable NBA Western Conference playoff bracket, they will have a great chance at going back-to-back.
LA Clippers +310
The Clippers have yet to win an NBA championship in franchise history, but this is the best team they have ever marched into the Western Conference NBA playoffs. Kawhi Leonard already has two Finals MVPs with two different teams and would love nothing more than to join LeBron James as the only player to do it three times. The 2-time DPOY is surrounded by perennial All-Stars, such as Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, ensuring there is no shortage of offensive talent on the Clippers. They’ve also been one of the best defensive teams in 2024, ensuring they are one of the best Western Conference NBA playoff teams. Outside of Leonard, their inexperience at delivering on the big stage is their main hurdle, but they have the on-court skills to overcome it.
OKC Thunder +720
The Thunder are a fearless, incredibly young contender who has nothing to lose in this year’s NBA Western Conference playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the oldest player on the Thunder at 25 years old, with the rest of the starters all coming in at 23 or younger. The Thunder have been electric on offense, tenacious on defense, and have a boatload of draft picks to build their team in future years. However, this season, it’s a tall task for OKC to win the Western Conference. They lack the playoff experience to be trusted against perennial contenders, and while they will be near the top for the next decade, this year is about gathering the necessary experience for a future championship run.
Phoenix Suns +900
The Suns have one of the best lineups on paper, but their lack of cohesive team play has consistently come back to haunt them this season. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are one of the best duos in the league, and with Jusuf Nurkic and Bradley Beal rounding out the starting lineup, Phoenix has all it needs to make a deep playoff run. However, they’ve shown time and time again that when the going gets tough, they will crumble. The Suns have been one of the most consistent Western Conference NBA playoff teams but have been unable to translate that into tangible success. It would be unwise to count out a team as talented as Phoenix at this stage, but they still have plenty to prove down the stretch.
Minnesota Timberwolves +1200
The Timberwolves have been one of the shock teams of the season, as they’ve leaned on solid defense to propel them up the standings. Rudy Gobert is expected to win his fourth DPOY award, and Antony Edwards is one of the most versatile point guards in the game. Minnesota hasn’t been able to get the playoff success they’ve been after, but that could all be forgotten if they go on a deep run in the Western Conference NBA playoffs. Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns’ ability to clog up the paint ensures there are no easy points for their opponents and that the Timberwolves will never fall too far behind on the scoreboard. They may lack the conventional scorer’s previous Western Conference champions have had, but their truly elite defense more than makes up for it.
