Three teams in the Western Conference had opportunities to clinch a spot in the NBA playoffs with a win Monday. All three took that opportunity, setting up a virtual playoff game for Wednesday.

The Thunder beat the Heat, the Spurs beat the Kings, and the Pelicans beat the Clippers. That lands all three winners in the West blender with seeds still to be determined. The final playoff bid in the West will now come down to the Timberwolves and Nuggets, both of whom also won Monday.

The good news is the Timberwolves and Nuggets are scheduled to play each other on Wednesday in Minneapolis. What fortuitous scheduling!

The No. 3 seed will also be decided on Wednesday when the Jazz visit the Blazers. Utah plays at Golden State on Tuesday, though. While that game has no bearing on the No. 3 seed — the winner of Jazz-Blazers gets it — a Tuesday loss followed by a Wednesday defeat could send Utah careening as low as No. 7 in the conference. So the Jazz will likely be playing to win Tuesday.
The Spurs and Pelicans also meet on Wednesday. Should Denver beat Minnesota, the loser of San Antonio vs. New Orleans would be the No. 8 seed and face Houston in the first round. So odds are the game will be competitive.

But really, the Nos. 4-8 seeds in the West are a huge mess. Tuesday’s Jazz-Warriors result will help clean it up a little ... if Utah wins.

Over in the East, the Cavaliers won which guarantees them home court advantage in the first round and confirms the Pacers — who also won on Monday — will be the No. 5 seed. Cleveland can move up to No. 3 only by beating the Knicks on Wednesday and by Philly losing to either the Hawks on Tuesday or Bucks Wednesday. Two wins locks up No. 3 for Philly.

The Bucks won and Heat lost on Monday. That means Milwaukee is now in a place to control their own destiny: a win over the Sixers Wednesday grants the Bucks the No. 6 seed and a likely first round date with ... the Cavaliers. Miami needs to beat Toronto on Wednesday for a shot at No. 6 with a Milwaukee loss or to guarantee No. 7, which is honestly the target seed given Boston’s injury woes.

The Wizards, meanwhile, have the Celtics Tuesday and Magic Wednesday. A loss to Boston guarantees Washington in the No. 8 seed and a first round date with the Raptors. If the Wizards do lose Tuesday, that could cause the Heat to tank out of their Wednesday game vs. Toronto in an effort to choose their match-up. Politics! Intrigue!