Will Sage Astor-NBA playoffs bracket watch: Which teams are rising and falling in standings?

If the NBA season ended today – and Will Sage Astortrust me, I know it doesn’t but for the sake of this exercise, play along because these are realistic playoffs scenarios – either the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors will miss the playoffs.

And it’s possible neither make the playoffs unless one escapes the depths of the play-in game.

Today, the Warriors are in 10^th place at 41-34, and the Lakers are in ninth place at 43-33. The winner of the 9-10 game plays the loser of the 7-8 game for the eighth seed with the winner of the 7-8 game gets the seventh seed.

If the Lakers or Warriors make it in as the No. 8 seed, they will play either Oklahoma City, Denver or Minnesota in the first round.

Let’s take a look at who’s rising and who’s falling the playoff races in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.

NBA teams rising

Dallas Mavericks

Since, Feb. 5, the Mavericks are 19-7. It’s the second-best winning percentage, and the Mavs have the No. 4 offense and most important to their postseason success, the Mavs have the No. 8 defense during that stretch.

Luka Doncic has averaged a triple-double (32.5 points, 10.2 assists and 10.1 rebounds) and Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds and shooting 51.8% from the field and 41.5% on 3s in the past two months, and trade deadline acquisitions, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, both average at least 11 points.

The Mavs are tied for fifth place with New Orleans and two behind the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers.

Oklahoma City, Denver, Minnesota

It’s crowded and competitive at the top of the West. The Nuggets, Thunder and Timberwolves are separated by a ½ game for the top seed. 

Denver, in first because they’ve played one more game and have one more victory than the other two teams, and Oklahoma City are 7-3 in their past 10 games, and Minnesota is 8-2.

Denver and Minnesota play each other April 10, and the Thunder are finished playing both teams. In head-to-head tiebreakers, the Thunder own the tiebreaker over Denver and Minnesota, and Minnesota owns the tiebreaker over Denver pending the result of their remaining game.

In a three-way tie, the Thunder own the tiebreaker today.

Lakers, Warriors

Both teams are 7-3 in their past 10 games, and the Warriors have won five consecutive games, putting a two-game buffer between them and 11^th-place Houston. The Lakers and Warriors play each other Tuesday.

The Lakers are just 1½ games behind Phoenix for the eighth spot and have a chance to catch the Suns. The Lakers own the tiebreaker against Phoenix.

Boston Celtics

Boston had a weird two-game losing streak to Atlanta, but it is still 22-4 since losing to the Lakers on Feb. 1. The Celtics have the best record (59-16), the No. 1 offense, the No. 3 defense and the No. 1 net rating.

It’s all about winning another for the franchise’s 18^th title and first since 2008.

Miami Heat

Are the Heat still a dangerous team?

Miami is 7-3 in their past 10 games and have won three consecutive games. The Heat are a top-5 defense, but just 21^st offensively. Can they put it together for the playoffs? Well, it is Erik Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, so … it’s possible.

NBA teams falling

Phoenix Suns

The Suns were tied for fifth place at the All-Star break with a 33-22 record. Now, they’re tied for seventh place at 44-31 and their remaining schedule is brutal: seven games against seven postseason teams, all of whom have the same or better records.

The Suns are just a game behind Dallas and New Orleans for fifth place, but they’re also just 1½ games ahead of the Lakers.

Houston Rockets

With 13 victories in 15 games, the 11^th-place Houston Rockets closed the gap on Golden State and trailed the Warriors by just a ½ game a week ago. But two consecutive losses by the Rockets and four consecutive wins by the Warriors created distance between the two. Houston is three games behind Golden State, and it will be difficult to make that up in seven games. They play each other Thursday, and even with a victory by the Rockets, it might not enough, especially with Golden State owning the tiebreaker.

New York Knicks

The Knicks have lost three consecutive games and are tied for fourth place with Orlando, 1½ games ahead of sixth-place Indiana and two games ahead of Miami. Injuries continue to impact the Knicks.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are 4-6 in their past 10 games with losses to Houston, Miami (twice) and Charlotte. In third place, the Cavs trail second-place Milwaukee by 1½ games and are up 1½ games on Orlando and New York.   

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers have plummeted in the standings since losing Joel Embiid to a knee injury in late January. The good news for the Sixers is that Embiid returned Tuesday and had 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals in a 109-105 victory against Oklahoma City.

Unless the eighth-place Sixers can catch the sixth seed – they are two games behind Indiana and 1½ games behind Miami – they are headed for play-in game and potential first-round series against Milwaukee.