There has been a major shakeup in the Western Conference with a little over two weeks left in the regular season. The Grizzlies announced on Friday that they had decided to part ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins, sending shockwaves throughout the rest of the league.
The Denver Nuggets are a game and a half ahead of the Grizzlies in the standings, with the Lakers sandwiched in between. Denver would play the Clippers in the first round if the season ended today, but there's a chance they could face Memphis in the first round in a No. 4 versus No. 5 matchup (if the Grizzlies don't slip down the standings).
The Nuggets have a 1-1 record against the Grizzlies this season, with both games being played in November. Denver will host Memphis in its last home game of the regular season on April 11. It's impossible to predict what position the Grizzlies will be in then, not only because of this major shakeup, but because of the strength of their remaining schedule.
Grizzlies shockingly fire head coach Taylor Jenkins
Memphis has lost four of its last five games, with the lone win coming against the tanking Jazz. Ja Morant has been out the past two weeks with a hamstring strain. Jenkins said on Wednesday that the star guard is considered day-to-day and making good progress.
The Grizzlies were already going through a rocky stretch, and the Jenkins firing threw an even bigger wrench into their season. The details behind Memphis' reason to move on from Jenkins are unknown, but the timing is suspect considering the playoffs are around the corner, and the team is in the top six in the West.
It's too early for the Nuggets to rule out the Grizzlies as a potential playoff matchup, but it'll be hard for Memphis to overcome this kind of shift at the end of the regular season. It doesn't seem like they'll be on Denver's heels anymore, but you never know.
The Nuggets control their destiny and have their eye on the No. 2 seed. They're two games back from the Rockets. Things are coming together for Denver at the right time; meanwhile, the opposite is happening in Memphis.