Just two weeks remain in the NBA’s regular season, and the standings remain muddled as teams fight for playoff position. Every night, especially out west, there is significant movement in the standings. With increased parity, any team can win any game, leading to increased unpredictability.
That unpredictability has made the NBA incredibly exciting this season and has also been spurred on by 3-point shooting. Teams are relying on 3-point shooting more than ever before, and the best shooting teams have a clear advantage. Here are the NBA standings based on 3-point percentage.
NBA Eastern Conference:
- Philadelphia 76ers- .388
- Brooklyn Nets- .382
- Boston Celtics- .377
- Milwaukee Bucks- .366
- Chicago Bulls- .365
- Cleveland Cavs- .365
- Indiana Pacers- .364
- Washington Wizards- .357
- Atlanta Hawks- .356
- Detroit Pistons- .350
- New York Knicks- .349
- Orlando Magic- .347
- Miami Heat- .341
- Toronto Raptors- .339
- Charlott Hornets- .327
In these updated standings, the East playoff bracket gets a shakeup. The Bucks, Celtics, 76ers, and Cavs make up the top four seeds currently. However, based on 3-point percentage, the 76ers, Nets, Celtics, and Bucks would comprise the top four in the East. Washington and Indiana, who are all but eliminated from playoff contention, fare better here as the 8th and 9th seeds.
As for the bottom of the East, the Bulls and the Raptors are 9th and 10th, respectively, but would be fifth and 14th in terms of 3-point shooting. Surprisingly, the Pistons, owners of the worst record in the NBA, would make the play-in over the fifth-seeded Knicks in these standings. 3-point shooting, or lack thereof, could come back to bite the Knicks in the playoffs as a result.
As a whole, the East hasn’t shot the ball nearly as well from outside as the West, but their current top-eight teams have better records than their counterparts. That suggests that the West’s grip on the NBA is slipping.
NBA Western Conference:
- Denver Nuggets- .389
- Golden State Warriors- .382
- LA Clippers- .378
- Phoenix Suns- .377
- Sacramento Kings- .374
- Dallas Mavericks- .370
- Portland Trail Blazers- .368
- Minnesota Timberwolves- .361
- New Orleans Pelicans- .360
- Oklahoma City Thunder- .360
- Utah Jazz- .358
- Memphis Grizzlies -.350
- San Antonio Spurs- .346
- Los Angeles Lakers- .341
- Houston Rockets- .327
The Nuggets have the best record in the West and also happen to be the most accurate shooting team in the NBA. That’s an invaluable weapon that, along with two-time MVP and current candidate Nikola Jokic, makes them a clear front-runner to make it to the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, the Kings, who are on pace to have the best offensive rating ever, rank just fifth in the West in these standings.
That suggests that they are scoring in other ways and doing so with incredible efficiency. The Mavericks, who are currently 11th in the West, are just behind the Kings in 3-point percentage. They are only three games back of the fourth seed, despite their recent struggles, and shooting doesn’t appear to be their problem.
The Trail Blazers recently shut Damian Lillard down for the season, now that they are 3.5 games out of the play-in tournament with nine games remaining. Of course, with Lillard and Anfernee Simons’ sharpshooting, the Blazers would rank seventh in the West if standings were based on 3-point percentage.
Unsurprisingly, the Warriors rank high in the standings with players such as Steph Curry, Jordan Poole, and Klay Thompson. In fact, they have the third-best shooting percentage in the NBA, which means they could be tough to beat in the playoffs. Interestingly, the Grizzlies, who are currently second in the West, rank as the fourth-worst 3-point shooting team in their conference. The Lakers are in a similar position.
Despite being 12-6 since the trade deadline, they still can’t shoot from outside, ranking 27th in the NBA. That raises questions about their ability to score in the playoffs when offense tends to be harder to come by.
Overall, as the league becomes more reliant on three-point shooting, expect it to have an increased role in the postseason. The better 3-point shooting teams have a clear advantage, and it may just help them win the championship this season.