The West got shaken up by a couple of games on Monday? You don’t say! The playoff implications for Monday’s results can be found below the jump.
NBA Playoff Picture: Unrest In The West!
First of all, the Thunder lost, narrowing OKC's lead over the Spurs by a half-game. The Thunder now have a 2.5-game margin over San Antonio. I feel compelled to note that the Spurs have won seven straight and has the good fortune of playing the Cavaliers on Tuesday. Wednesday will be a big day in this race as OKC visits Miami and the Spurs take on the Celtics.
In the Battle For L.A., the Clippers picked up a half-game on the idle Lakers with a powerful win in Dallas. The Clippers now trail the Lakers by one game in the Pacific and in the race for the No. 3 spot. That win also boosted the Clips' margin over the Mavericks to 2.5 games.
But wait! Twas Memphis that felled the mighty Thunder, so the Grizzlies actually leaped past Dallas into the No. 5 spot. Memphis kept pace two games behind the Clippers, and moved to a half-game ahead of the Mavs.
At the bottom of the conference’s bracket, Denver was idle and remains a half-game clear in No. 7. Houston pulled off an improbable victory in Chicago, solidifying itself in No. 8. The Jazz also won (beating Portland) -- that victory kept Utah one game out of the bracket. Portland slides to four games out. Phoenix (two games out) was idle. Minnesota is absolutely toast, now 4.5 games out with three teams in the way.
Only two Eastern teams in the playoff race saw action on Monday. The Bucks blasted the Wizards to pull back to two games behind the Knicks for the No. 8 spot. The Bulls lost, shrinking its margin over the Heat for the No. 1 seed to three games.
Be sure to check out Enormous Consequences at noon ET for a look at Tuesday’s action.
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