NBA playoff bracket: Nuggets continue to fade

A brutal double-overtime loss pushed Denver further back in the race.

While it is true that Nuggets vs. Heat had massive playoff implications, they were skewed. Miami is going to make the playoffs: they lead Detroit by six games in the loss column. What remains to be decided is whether the Heat will be the No. 7 or 8 seed in the East. (There’s a shot they could move up higher than that.)

Monday’s Miami vs. Denver tilt meant more to the Nuggets, who found themselves one back from No. 8 in the loss column before the game. Unfortunately, they came up on the short end in double-overtime in Miami. That gives Denver 33 losses, two more than the No. 8 Timberwolves and one more than the No. 9 Clippers (both inactive). It also means Denver has begun its season-defining seven-game road trip 0-2. If the Nuggets don’t beat the Bulls in Chicago Wednesday, they ought to just pack up and go home.

The only other team in the Western Conference quagmire active on Monday was the Spurs, who beat the Warriors’ B-team. San Antonio has won four straight to fight back into playoff position after briefly slipping out. The Warriors’ loss gives Houston a four-game advantage in the loss column. The Rockets also have a tiebreaker.

Here’s the West bracket after Monday’s action.

Rockets (1) vs. Timberwolves (8)
Thunder (4) vs. Spurs (5)
Blazers (3) vs. Jazz (6)
Warriors (2) vs. Pelicans (7)
Just outside: Clippers (9), Nuggets (10)

All three of the four teams fighting for preferential seeding in the Eastern Nos. 3-6 range won Monday. The Cavaliers beat the Bucks to remain at 29 losses, one fewer than the other three squads. Indiana beat the Lakers and Philadelphia beat the Hornets. The Wizards had the night off. The Sixers remain poised to potentially move up due to a breezy schedule.

That Heat win combined with the Bucks’ loss flipped those two squads at the bottom of the bracket. Both teams have 33 losses, but Miami has the tiebreaker and thus, the advantage.

Here’s what the East bracket currently looks like.

Raptors (1) vs. Bucks (8)
Pacers (4) vs. Wizards (5)
Cavaliers (3) vs. 76ers (6)
Celtics (2) vs. Heat (7)

Six of the eight teams in the West playoff race are active on Tuesday, and Rockets-Blazers is the highlight (10:30 p.m., TNT). Pay attention to Clippers-Timberwolves, too: Minnesota’s in a little danger here. The East playoff race essentially has a night off.