The regular season at the Intuit Dome is complete. Now, after 81 games, the Clippers need some help to clinch the fourth seed in the West. It’s been a hard-fought season for the LA Clippers, and they don’t look to slow down. With a game remaining in the season, the Clippers are doing their best to clinch home-court advantage for the playoffs. Here are the scenarios of what can happen regarding where they finish in the Western Conference seeding.
LA Clippers Need Help to Clinch Home-Court Advantage
The NBA has announced the scenarios for the last day of the season, and they should be interesting. The Clippers will need a little bit of assistance to be in the best position possible. The Clippers travel to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors, who are also playing for their playoff lives.
The NBA just confirmed the Clippers cannot finish 6th, so there will be no Battle of LA in the first round.
It will be either a 4/5 or 7th place finish for the Clippers, with a win over Golden State guaranteeing top-5. pic.twitter.com/7jaCUtdayh
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 12, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Clippers Are a Different Team Since Last Meeting Against Potential Matchups
A Clippers victory over the Warriors will automatically place them no lower than the fifth seed in the West. The best-case scenario for LA is for the Denver Nuggets to lose in Houston against the second-seeded Rockets. A Nuggets defeat allows the Clippers to jump Denver in the standings, and a Clippers victory would claim them home-court advantage for the opening round. However, if both the Nuggets and the Clippers lose, the Minnesota Timberwolves have an opportunity for the fourth seed. The Timberwolves will face the last-place Utah Jazz, who are tied for the worst record in the league at 17-64. It is certainly expected that Minnesota will win.
In the wild event that LA, Denver, and Minnesota lose, that would also be the best-case scenario for LA. The Clippers would clinch the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs if this occurs. The first-round matchups should be very exciting, nonetheless. The Clippers could have the fourth or fifth seed in the first round against the Denver Nuggets or Minnesota Timberwolves. There is also a chance LA slips down to the seventh seed and hosts a play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies. This would occur in the unfortunate event that LA loses and both Denver and Minnesota win.
Looking back, LA was swept 3-0 by the Timberwolves while also splitting four games with the Nuggets in the regular season. However, the last time the Clippers played either team was on January 6 and 8 respectively. Kawhi Leonard had just returned a few days before these matchups, and James Harden was beginning to play All-Star level basketball consistently. Ivica Zubac was not playing at the incredible form he currently has been, and the roster-shifting acquisitions of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Ben Simmons were still on their previous teams. It is a very different Clippers team from three months ago, and LA is one of the hottest teams in the league.
Clippers Complete First Season at the Intuit Dome on a High Note
There is a definite advantage of playing at home, especially since the Clippers now have an arena of their own. The Clippers no longer have to share an arena with the more popular Los Angeles Lakers. With advanced technology and perks to go with it, the Intuit Dome has become one of the best arenas to play in just after a season.
Overall, the Clippers have a 30-11 record at home in their first full season at the Intuit Dome. The 30-11 home record is the best for the Clippers since the Lob City days in the 2014-15 season. It is also in top five in the league, trailing the Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Los Angeles has averaged 114.8 points per game at home. While it’s not the best scoring average at home, the identity for the Clippers has been their defense. The Clippers are statistically the best defensive team in the West, allowing only 105.7 points per game when at home. They also have the second-best point differential per game at 9.1.
How “The Wall” Will Help The Clippers in the Playoffs with Home-Court Advantage
Something else that should be mentioned that may receive much attention this postseason is “The Wall” at the Intuit Dome. The Clippers have the second-best opponent free-throw percentage at home at 74.8%, thanks to the incredible fan atmosphere. From the thousands of fans that stand throughout the whole game behind the east basket or the fourth quarter antics to receive free Chick-Fil-A, the Clippers will be a tough team to play at home.
LA Clippers over the last 15 games:
– 1st in wins
– 1st in offensive rating
– 1st in defensive rating
– 1st in net rating
– 1st in defensive rebounds per game
– 1st in opp offensive rebounds allowed
– 1st in opp 2nd chance pts allowed
– 1st in FG%
– 1st in 3PT%
– 1st in +/- pic.twitter.com/lDvx4R8Bhm— clippa twitta (@clipfullyloaded) April 11, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Clippers ride a seven-game win streak into the last game of the regular season. LA is 17-3 in their last 20 games, with two of three losses coming to the top two teams in the league. The Clippers are in top form and look to keep the momentum going into the final regular season game. The NBA playoffs begin next weekend, and the excitement is only beginning for LA.
Photo credit: © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The post LA Clippers Need Help to Clinch Home-Court Advantage appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.