Charles Barkley believes teams will throw games in season finale for favorable playoff matchups

The NBA’s regular season is coming to a close and teams in the Western Conference are jostling for playoff positions. With playoff matchups on the line, the likes of Charles Barkley and other media members are waiting to see how it all pans out.

For instance, the Golden State Warriors lost today to the San Antonio Spurs. That loss dragged them down to seventh. If they end up in this position, they will be forced to take part in the SoFi play-in tournament.

That means their playoff future is then on the line. If they lose the first game, they will then play the winner between the 9th and 10th seed. If they lose that, they will exit the playoffs, much like they did last season.

With two games left for most of the teams, anyone standing in positions three to eight could wind up in the play-in. Moreover, their performances will dictate who will gain home-court advantage. But Charles Barkley believes, some teams will take a call on their final result based on how others fare.

The Hall of Famer believes every team jostling for position will be on their toes. If Friday’s games end up favoring some, they might throw the final game on Sunday if they feel they have a better chance at playing a particular rival in the first round of the playoffs.

Charles Barkley believes Denver Nuggets still hold the edge

The first part of Charles Barkley’s discussion on Moser, Lombardi, and Kane on Altitude Sports Radio was regarding the recent dismissal of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. But the round mound of rebound still believes the team are better than most in the west.

His belief stems from the fact that Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the world. In a playoff scenario, there is no one who can outduel him. Even if their recent form speaks otherwise, in the playoffs, there are few who can battle him in terms of game management and pure offensive output.

Moreover, once Jamal Murray and the rest of the players are healthy and in sync, Barkley believes they are the best team in the West other than the Oklahoma City Thunder. He does not believe the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets or anyone else can win a playoff series against the Nuggets.

Nuggets could have easy path to playoff home-court advantage

The Denver Nuggets won against the Sacramento Kings for the first time since Michael Malone was let go. In that game, Nikola Jokic’s game management came to the fore and the Nuggets dispatched the Kings easily.

But the Kings are not one of the better teams in the league. They are 9th in the standings for a reason. On the other hand, Jokic and his teammates will face two in-form teams. First, it will be against the Ja Morant led Memphis Grizzlies.

They have won three-straight games and will look to use their form to keep climbing the playoff ladder. But they will play the Denver Nuggets after a tough battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This could help the Nuggets as the Grizzlies will likely be battling late season fatigue.

Then, their final game will be against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are comfortably second in the West. They do not need to go all out guns blazing in the final regular season game. If they choose to rest their starters, it could benefit the Nuggets, who can win the final game to cement fourth place.

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