Avoiding the No. 4 seed -- and a potential second-round matchup with the Lakers -- likely will be a goal for the LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets, which all have a real chance to land No. 2.
Here's how BPI projects the race:
No. 2: LAC (51%) | HOU (24%) | DEN (18%)
No. 3: HOU (32%) | DEN (29%) | LAC (26%)
No. 4: DEN (29%) | HOU (28%) | LAC (14%)
This should be tight down the stretch, as both BPI and FiveThirtyEight had these three teams finishing within two games of each other. FiveThirtyEight similarly gives the Clippers a slight edge in this one. And while all three teams are likely to earn home-court advantage, they could still slip to the next tier.
Also
The Lakers should get the winner of the race for the No. 8 seed, while the next most likely matchup is Thunder-Clippers (37% chance).
We need to send a statement to OKC on Tuesday.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28803991/nba-playoff-lottery-projections-tightest-races-likely-winners%3fplatform=amp
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