Breaking Down Jazz's Playoff Tie-Breakers in the West

It can’t get much tighter in the Western Conference this year. Heading into Saturday’s contests, only 2.5 games separate the No. 6 and 12 seeds.

The way it’s trending, tie-breakers are going to have a say in seeding. Where do the Utah Jazz stand with their competition in the event of a tie?

Let’s break it down by first taking a peek at the NBA's rules in regard to a two-way tie.

Head-to-head won-lost percentage.
Division leader wins tie over team not leading a division.
Division win/loss percentage for teams in the same division.
Conference win/loss percentage.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Jazz own the advantage, winning the season series 3-0.

Los Angeles Lakers

Where it stands today, the Jazz hold an advantage over the Lakers by beating their opponent twice earlier this year. The two franchises will meet twice more, where a split would secure the tie-breaker in favor of Utah.

If the Lakers win the next two, it then defaults to the Conference record due to the two teams being in different divisions. The Jazz currently hold a 1.5-game advantage with nine Conference games remaining. However, that lead would be wiped out if the Lakers take the next two from Utah.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Jazz have an uphill battle if they want to get the tiebreaker against the Thunder. The two franchises meet again on April 6 in Salt Lake City, where a Thunder victory would secure the advantage in their favor.

If Utah wins, then it defaults to the better division record, but the Thunder are still up 1.5 games there. With only three division games left for Utah, there’s no room for error.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves and Jazz have split their four contests this year, but it doesn’t look good moving forward for Utah. The Timberwolves have won four more Conference games than Utah heading into Saturday night.

That’s a lot of ground to make up this late in the season.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors own the advantage, winning the season series 2-1.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks own the advantage, winning the season series 3-1.

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