Here are the standings in the West, 2-7, after the games on Friday, April 10th. Each team's remaining games are listed after the record.
2. Denver 53-27 (Sacramento, @Portland)
3. Houston 52-28 (New Orleans, @Dallas)
4. Portland 51-28 (@Clippers, OKC, Denver)
5. San Antonio 51-28 (@Sacramento, @Golden State, New Orleans)
6. New Orleans 48-31 (Dallas, @Houston, @San Antonio)
7. Dallas 48-31 (@New Orleans, Minnesota, Houston)
8. Utah 47-32 (Golden State, Clippers, @L*kers)
--As you can see, the Rockets and Spurs both won tonight. Portland remained in the same place relative to both teams despite the victory over L.A.
--The Jazz lost to the Spurs tonight, notching their 32nd loss. The Blazers can now finish no lower than the 7th seed even if they lose every game remaining. One more victory would ensure Portland at least the 5th seed.
--The Blazers could still climb as high as the 2nd seed. A win against the Clippers tonight would tie them with Houston. Portland does not hold the tie-breaker with either of the teams in front of them and must surpass their record to finish ahead of them.
--The Hornets lost along with the Jazz but the Mavericks won. Dallas and New Orleans have identical records. Utah is one game behind. If Dallas manages to win in New Orleans Sunday afternoon they would have a good chance of retaining the 6th seed. If not it's up in the air between the Hornets, Jazz, and Mavericks for those last three spots. It could go any way. We won't know for sure about the tie-breaker between New Orleans and Dallas until after their game but we do know that Dallas has the tie-breaker over Utah while the Hornets would lose to the Jazz in the event of a tie.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)