Inside The Suns

Who Will Suns Play in First Round of NBA Playoffs? Final Day Seeding Scenarios

The Phoenix Suns are locked into the No. 5 seed, but who will they play?
Donnie Druin|
Who Will Suns Play in First Round of NBA Playoffs? Final Day Seeding Scenarios
Who Will Suns Play in First Round of NBA Playoffs? Final Day Seeding Scenarios

In this story:

Phoenix SunsLos Angeles ClippersGolden State WarriorsNew Orleans Pelicans

It's the final day of the NBA's regular season, and there's no wiggle room for the Phoenix Suns after 81 games played.

Phoenix is firmly tucked into the No. 4 seed, guaranteeing they have homecourt advantage at least through the first round of the playoffs. The seedings above the Suns are locked as well, as the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings occupy the one, two and three seeds, respectfully. 

However, the rest of the playoff picture is still up for grabs, most notably the No. 5 seed (who Phoenix will face in the first round).

With the Los Angeles Lakers knocked out of the running for that spot yesterday, three teams are a possibility: The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans. 

Thanks to researcher/statistician James Smyth, we know the following:

There are 16 different scenarios in play tomorrow depending on different results. Out of those 16, the Clippers are the most likely opponent with ten outcomes. The Warriors are next with four and the Pelicans have just two. 

Los Angeles simply needs to win and they have the No. 5 seed secured. With Phoenix resting their starters again, that seems like a genuine possibility/expectation. They can also have Golden State/New Orleans lose as well to claim the five spot. 

The Warriors have a more simple path, as a win against the Portland Trail Blazers and a Clippers loss will put them against Phoenix in the next round. 

As for the Pelicans, they need a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves and losses by both the Clippers/Warriors to get in. 

All three teams have the potential to drop to a play-in spot with a loss, so expect each club to try their best to avoid a loss on Sunday. 

All three teams play at 12:30 PM PST on Sunday. 

Published
Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns On SI. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with the company since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!

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