Western Conference standings update, 3/7

03/07/2025 06:07 PM

A look at the standings after a solid week.

It was a good week for the Golden State Warriors. A very good week. They handled business with three road wins in four games, crushing the lowly Charlotte Hornets, impressing on national television against a very-good New York Knicks squad, and overcoming a 22-point deficit to eke out a victory over the Brooklyn Nets. The result? A 35-28 record that moved the Dubs back into the playoff standings, in sole possession of the sixth seed in the West.

And better yet, it has the Warriors setting their sights on an even higher seed. Which means it's time to start incorporating a few more names into these twice-weekly standings updates. Here's how the week unfolded for the teams that the Warriors are fighting in the standings.

No. 11 — Phoenix Suns (29-33)

The Suns won their only game this week, narrowly beating the LA Clippers in a game they desperately needed. It's nearly time to stop including them in these updates ... they're five-and-a-half games behind the Warriors with just 20 games left. But for now, we'll keep them in here.

Next games up: Friday at the Nuggets, Sunday at the Mavericks

No. 10 — Dallas Mavericks (32-31)

Awful news came for the Mavericks this week, as Kyrie Irving tore his ACL. The Mavericks have now traded Luka Dončić, lost Irving for the season, and lost Anthony Davis to a severe injury. They lost both of their games this week, falling to the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks by a combined 54 points. They're only three games behind the Warriors, but their season is effectively over — we'll just see if Klay Thompson can will them to stay ahead of the Suns and get a token play-in game.

Next games up: Friday vs. the Grizzlies, Sunday vs. the Suns

No. 9 — Sacramento Kings (32-29)

The Kings capped a four-game winning streak on Monday by beating the Mavericks, but fell to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. They're hanging around, and are only two games behind the Warriors, though it doesn't seem likely that they can catch up to Golden State in a post-De'Aaron Fox world.

Next games up: Friday vs. the Spurs, Sunday at the Clippers

No. 8 — LA Clippers (33-29)

The Clippers were hanging to the sixth seed for so long, but once the Warriors surpassed them, it felt like LA might start to collapse. They split their games this week, losing to the Suns but beating the Detroit Pistons. But even with that win, they've lost six of their last eight games. They're only one-and-a-half games behind the Warriors, but they're just not playing well right now.

Next games up: Friday vs. the Knicks, Sunday vs. the Kings

No. 7 — Minnesota Timberwolves (35-29)

The Wolves took advantage of their light schedule this week, comfortably beating the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday and the Hornets on Wednesday. With that, they moved to the seventh seed, where they sit just a half-game back of the Warriors. This is a team that will make Golden State look over their shoulders, especially since Minnesota has eight of their next 11 games at home.

Next games up: Friday at the Heat, Sunday vs. the Spurs

No. 5 — Houston Rockets (38-25)

Suddenly, the fifth seed is in play. The Rockets are just three games ahead of the Warriors, and the Dubs have already clinched the tiebreaker. Just as importantly, Houston is struggling. They had a losing week, dropping games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers before beating the New Orleans Pelicans. They've lost 11 of their last 17 games, and seem to be running out of steam. But three games is a nice cushion, and Houston has a pretty friendly schedule for the next few weeks.

Next games up: Saturday vs. the Pelicans

No. 4 — Memphis Grizzlies (38-24)

It would be a coup, but the fourth seed is in play for the Warriors as well, as they trail the Grizzlies by just three-and-a-half games. Memphis is struggling in a big way: they lost both of their games this week, first to the Atlanta Hawks and then to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They've lost four games in a row, and eight of their last 11. If they keep struggling, the Warriors could catch up to them.

Next games up: Friday at the Mavericks, Sunday at the Pelicans

As for the Dubs, they're finally back home. They'll kick off a seven-game home-stand on Saturday when they host the Pistons.

Here's how the full standings — looking better every day — shake out.