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The LA Clippers came into Madison Square Garden on Wednesday and conquered the Jalen Brunson-less New York Knicks 126-113. James Harden's explosive third quarter turned around the Clippers' fortune after a disastrous first 12 minutes of the game.
Harden scored 16 of his 29 points in the third period, while Kawhi Leonard finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Ivica Zubac had another double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, which was his 48th of the campaign. He's not getting a lot of love as a Most Improved Player candidate, but the big man has been phenomenal for the Clippers.
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With their win at MSG, the Clippers improved to 41-31 for the season. Let's look at their latest playoff picture, including updated standings, remaining schedule and more.
LA Clippers playoff picture: Updated standings
The Clippers are now sitting sixth in the Western Conference standings following the big victory in New York City. They have the same record as the Golden State Warriors, but they own the tiebreaker, which makes their matchup at the final day of the regular season on April 13 very important.
James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and company are just three games behind a Top 4 spot, currently occupied by crosstown rivals LA Lakers. They are in a favorable position at the moment because they won't participate in the play-in tournament if the regular season ended today.
However, the Clippers can't afford to be complacent with several teams ready to take their place if they slip up. The Warriors are just right behind them with the same record at 41-31, with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks from the 8th to the 11th spot.
LA Clippers playoff picture: Remaining schedule
Following their win over the New York Knicks, the LA Clippers have 10 games remaining on their schedule. Five of those games are on the road and five will be played at the Intuit Dome. Their next three contests against the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic are all away from home.
On the other hand, the next five are at the comfort of their newly-built arena and in front of their faithful fans. The Clippers will welcome four of the five Southwest Division teams. They face the Mavericks twice, and the Rockets, Spurs and Pelicans once.
The penultimate game is at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, and as mentioned above, the final game of the regular season is against the Warriors. It will be held at the Chase Center and could be a key factor in determining the final seedings before the play-in tournament.
LA Clippers playoff picture: Potential matchup
If the NBA playoffs started today, the LA Clippers would be matched up against the No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets. It's not a favorable series since they are going to be playing the three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
In their four-game season series, the Clippers and Nuggets split with two wins each. However, Denver has won six of their last 10 matchups since Jan. 13, 2023.
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