The Los Angeles Lakers finally got back to .500 with their thrilling win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, but they remain on the outside looking in on the Western Conference playoff picture.
NBA playoff picture, West edition: Lakers still on the outside
The Lakers have finally returned to .500, but they are still 2½ games back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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The Lakers sit at 30-30, 2½ games behind both the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets. The Jazz technically hold the seventh-seed, as they are a single percentage point ahead of the Rockets in the standings. The Golden State Warriors are just a half-game ahead of Utah and Houston in the sixth spot. The Warriors and Jazz both play on Monday.
Looking at the top of the West, the San Antonio Spurs hold a comfortable three-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both teams were victorious on Sunday, and the Thunder's victory over the Clippers gave them a 1½-game cushion over Los Angeles for the second spot.
The Denver Nuggets will look to pull closer to the No. 4 Memphis Grizzlies when they take on the road-weary Atlanta Hawks Monday night. The Nuggets sit at 38-22 and are two games behind the Grizzlies, who have won nine of their last 10 games.
Here are the full West standings:
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