NBA Standings: Rockets Tied With Nuggets, Mavericks In Western Conference Playoff Race

The Houston Rockets have a slim 1.5 game lead over Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NBA's Western Conference, but the good news is that they're just a win or two shy of jumping into the sixth seed and avoiding a potential first round match-up with Oklahoma City or San Antonio.

Houston, Denver and Dallas are all tied with 32-36 records, with Dallas travelling to Golden State on Thursday night while the Rockets and Nuggets are idle. With the Rockets hosting Phoenix and the Nuggets playing at L.A. on Friday, a Houston win and a Dallas or Denver loss could get the Rockets off the playoff cliff.

Western Standings

	GP	W-L	PCT
Oklahoma City Thunder	58	42-16	.724
San Antonio Spurs	56	40-16	.714
Los Angeles Lakers	59	37-22	.627
Los Angeles Clippers	58	35-23	.603
Memphis Grizzlies	57	34-23	.596
Dallas Mavericks	58	32-26	.552
Denver Nuggets	58	32-26	.552
Houston Rockets	58	32-26	.552
Utah Jazz	59	31-28	.525
Phoenix Suns	58	30-28	.517
Portland Trail Blazers	59	28-31	.475
Minnesota Timberwolves	59	25-34	.424
Golden State Warriors	57	22-35	.386
Sacramento Kings	59	19-40	.322
New Orleans Hornets	58	16-42	.276