NBA Playoff Race Update: Bucks Back on the Bubble?

Western Conference - Bubble Teams

(4) New Orleans Pelicans (43-30, 94.4%)
(5) Oklahoma City Thunder (43-30, 97.8%)
(6) San Antonio Spurs (42-30, 95.3%)
(7) Minnesota Timberwolves (41-31, 95.2%)
(8) Utah Jazz (41-31, 83.7%)
(9) Denver Nuggets (39-33, 16.3%)
(10) Los Angeles Clippers (38-33, 17.8%)

Following the Trail Blazers' jump to the next tier, seven bubble teams remain in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

Only four games separate the 4th-place Pelicans and the 10th-place Clippers, but we've still gained a bit more clarity as to which of these teams is the most likely to make the postseason after this past week.

The Pelicans have gone 4-1 since our last installment, and their playoff odds have jumped from 74.3% to 94.4% in the process. They now sit in fourth, with not only a high probability of making the postseason, but a realistic chance of hosting a first-round playoff series.

The Spurs temporarily dropped out of a playoff spot last week, but they responded by going 3-0 and now hold a three-game lead on ninth place. In turn, their playoff odds have jumped from 74.9% to 95.3% in the span of seven days.

This tier is basically split into three mini-tiers now: the Pelicans, Thunder, and Spurs make up the safe bets; the Timberwolves and Jazz represent the risky ventures; and the Nuggets and Clippers are the long shots.