Saturday’s Western Conference schedule
The NBA’s Western Conference is superb. Unlike the East, where a couple of teams, at minimum, will make the postseason without the benefit of a winning record, the West will have eight organizations rolling into the spring with a chance to make some serious noise.
On Saturday, there are six Western teams in action with five still harboring hope of playing beyond the regular-season finale.
Phoenix Suns at Houston Rockets, 8 p.m. ET
Phoenix barely missed out on the playoffs last year and appears to be in a similar position here in 2015. The Suns were backed into a corner before the trading deadline by star guard Goran Dragic, and dealt him to the Miami Heat. Without Dragic, Phoenix has sunk from the eighth and final playoff seed into the tenth position behind both the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans.
Meanwhile, Houston is making a serious push for the Southwest Division title, trailing only the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets have been led all year by MVP candidate James Harden, along with Dwight Howard and a terrific collection of talent around the duo including Terrance Jones and Corey Brewer. If Houston can show consistent effort on defense, it is a darkhorse to make its first NBA Finals appearance since 1995.
Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
The Trail Blazers are a force to reckoned with, but they are playing shorthanded. Wesley Matthews was the unsung third cog in the star wheel in Portland, fitting in alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard. Matthews unfortunately tore his Achilles tendon against the Dallas Mavericks on March 5. The Blazers will be relying heavily on newly-acquired Aaron Afflalo to fill the void, starting the five games since Matthews’ injury.
Memphis is simply looking to hold onto the second seed in the West. The Grizzlies have been able to stay atop the Southwest despite the worst team, New Orleans, having a winning record. If Memphis can stay put in the standings, it will assure itself of home-court advantage through the first two rounds of the postseason, at minimum.
Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET
Utah is not going to the playoffs, but it has been one of the best teams in basketball since the All-Star break. Since that time, the Jazz are 12-3. Considering the franchise dealt Enes Kanter to the Thunder at the trade deadline, it appeared Utah would go completely in the tank. Instead, the Jazz has fought back behind Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert.
Golden State is simply in cruise control. The Warriors are coasting to home-court advantage throughout the postseason with an eye on a trip to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1975 when Rick Barry was running the show. Head coach Steve Kerr has done a masterful job in his first season, helping Golden State take the proverbial next step. With Splash Bros. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson leading the way, the sky is the limit for Golden State.
