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Grizzlies, Lakers could still be catchable as Wolves try to avoid play-in

Scoreboard watching for Minnesota fans should extend beyond the Warriors and Clippers.

Will Ragatz

Jan 20, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at FedExForum.
Jan 20, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at FedExForum. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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Just last week, it looked like the Timberwolves were in a three-team race with the Warriors and Clippers for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, with the two losing teams in that battle bound for the play-in tournament.

But with two weeks left in the regular season, the teams sitting in the No. 4 and 5 spots in the standings — the Lakers and Grizzlies — shouldn't feel too comfortable in their top-six positioning. With tough schedules moving forward, both teams are potentially catchable, making it more of a five-team hunt for three spots above the play-in line.

The West standings in the NBA entering play on Monday, March 31
The West standings in the NBA entering play on Monday, March 31 / ESPN.com

The Lakers still seem relatively safe, given that they're 2.5 games up on the Wolves and three games up on the Clippers with just 7-8 games left for every team. But they had lost four of their last five contests (one of those coming on a half-court Bulls buzzer beater) before winning in Memphis on Saturday, which has caused things to get a bit dicey. Just look at LAL's remaining schedule, which ranks as the second-toughest in the NBA:

  • Monday 3/31: vs. Rockets (49-26)
  • Thursday 4/3: vs. Warriors (43-31)
  • Friday 4/4: vs. Pelicans (21-54)
  • Sunday 4/6: at Thunder (62-12)
  • Tuesday 4/8: at Thunder (62-12)
  • Wednesday 4/9: at Mavericks (37-38)
  • Friday 4/11: vs. Rockets (49-26)
  • Sunday 4/13: vs. Trail Blazers (32-43)

That's four of their final eight games against the top two seeds in the West — including a pair of road games against the juggernaut Thunder — plus tough ones against Golden State and Dallas (Anthony Davis is healthy again). The Lakers are extremely talented, but they've got their work cut out for them.

The Grizzlies look even more catchable for Minnesota. They've lost two in a row and five of their last six. They're 9-14 since Feb. 5 and just shocked the NBA world by firing head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday.

Memphis' remaining schedule is the 12th-toughest in the NBA and starts out with a back-to-back against the Celtics and Warriors on Monday and Tuesday. Then they've got road games in Miami and Detroit and an easy one in Charlotte before finishing the season against the Wolves, Nuggets, and Mavericks. That April 10 game in Memphis between the Grizzlies and Timberwolves could be a huge one in the playoff picture.

It is worth noting that both the Lakers and Grizzlies will hold tiebreakers over Minnesota, so the Wolves don't have much margin for error in their final seven games if they're going to pass either one.

Nonetheless, Wolves fans have plenty of scoreboard watching to do over the next two weeks. The Clippers and Warriors were already on their radar, and the Grizzlies and Lakers should be as well.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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