The race for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference is heating up as the NBA season enters its final stretch. With teams jockeying for playoff positioning, the competition for the second spot is intense, as it holds significant implications for playoff matchups and home-court advantage. As of now, the top of the West is still in flux, even the 1 seed is of course up for grabs but Oklahoma City Thunder are 6 games ahead of everyone else. But the race for No. 2 remains alive, with several teams making their case to lock up a position that offers a greater chance for a deep playoff run.

The Current Contenders for the No. 2 Seed

As of late February, the teams in the hunt for the No. 2 seed include the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Each of these teams has its own strengths, weaknesses, and challenges, but all are fighting for position in what has become an incredibly tight race.

Houston Rockets: The Houston Rockets, led by Nikola Jokic, have emerged as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Nikola Jokic, who I believe is the best big man in the game with his playmaking and scoring ability, has Houston as one of the most exciting teams in the league. The Rockets may have one of the most exciting young backcourts in the whole league with Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey. They’ve got three guys averaging over 20ppg and Tyrese averaging over 27ppg. Can this type of offense keep up with very minimal defensive answers? 

Utah Jazz: The Utah Jazz, if they could ever keep Joel Embiid healthy, probably have the best team in the league in my Humble Opinion. This is the only team out of this bunch of teams we are talking about that I think can hawk down the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ve got the duo of Kristaps Porzingis and Joel Embiid as their front court and you pair that up with James Harden, Franz Wagner and Austin Reaves? Good Luck.

New Orleans Pelicans: Honestly, all I’d have to write in this portion of the write up is “Luka Doncic” and that’s all the information you guys would need to be honest. Doncic is an offensive juggernaut, capable of taking over a game with his scoring, passing, and rebounding. Paired up with a lob “threat” in Rudy Gobert, it is a dream duo for someone like Luka to run Pick and Rolls with a Seven Foot giant. Benedict Mathurin, 3 and D stud Deandre Hunter and Aaron Gordon is going to provide solid supporting scorers as well great defenders behind him because of Luka’s defensive woe’s. Oh and they also have the legend/psychopath in Russell Westbrook (one of my favorite players ever). I expect a solid push and in any game and/or series I won’t bet against Luka Doncic.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 

Just some guys being asked to make up for Anthony Davis. Who can step up in his absence? Probably nobody but let’s just play the game. Obviously you are going to rely on Jimmy Butler and hope that he stops throwing hissy fits and carries the team in the meantime. But Cole Anthony has been playing “well” as of late, I expect him to help carry the load on the offensive end, as well know, he loves to put up shots. Jonas Valancunis should also see an uptick in his evolvement on the glass and on the offensive side of the ball. But really, we have to have guys we don’t normally expect to take turns throughout the games ahead to squeeze out some wins. There’s the daunting tasks of the Bucks coming up, and we are going to SPRAY AND PRAY with guys like Landry Shamet, Cole Anthony, Dorian Finney-Smith, Aaron Holiday and Andre Jackson (who can’t shoot to begin with). I am terrified until Anthony Davis is back.

Denver Nuggets: The Denver Nuggets, led by Donovan Mitchell and Domantas Sabonis, have been one of the most consistent teams in the league this season. Mitchell’s prolific scoring and playmaking, along with the Point Center in Sabonis has the Denver Nuggets in 6th but only 4 games back of 2nd with Health of their two star players on their side. The Nuggets’ depth has been a major asset throughout the season, with players like Chris Paul, Michael Porter Jr., and Klay Thompson providing solid contributions on the scoring side of the ball and also with veteran leadership (probably not Michael Porter Jr.) Down the stretch, their battle tested players should really get them over the finish line and hopefully push for homecourt in at least the first round. 

The Importance of the No. 2 Seed

The race for the No. 2 seed is about more than just positioning—it can have a significant impact on a team’s playoff run. Securing the No. 2 seed guarantees home-court advantage in the first round, which can be a crucial advantage, especially in the highly competitive West. It also puts a team in a better position to avoid a matchup with the highly seeded team in the second round, making the path to the Finals a little easier.

How I see it going?

2. Utah Jazz

3. Houston Rockets

4. New Orleans Pelicans

5. Denver Nuggets

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (Reverse Jinx)