Winner takes all: T-Wolves, Nuggets meet Wednesday to decide last playoff spot

It's winner-take-all on Wednesday night.

The final playoff spot in the Western Conference will be filled after at least four quarters of basketball at the Target Center, when the Minnesota Timberwolves host the visiting Denver Nuggets.

The Utah Jazz clinched a berth on Sunday after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers. The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans then punched their tickets on Monday with wins over the Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively.

Denver kept its postseason hopes alive by pulling out a hard-fought victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Pepsi Center, 88-82. The Nuggets would have been eliminated had they lost to Portland, and New Orleans, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota all won.

Minnesota leads the season series with the Nuggets 2-1, despite having just lost to them on April 5 in the Mile High City, 100-96. All-Star wing Jimmy Butler wasn't active for that matchup, though, as he was still recovering from right knee surgery.

He will play on Wednesday after returning to action last Friday.

Assuming the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the lowly Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, if Denver can hold off Minnesota, they'll get the Golden State Warriors in the first round. If Minnesota prevails, then the result of the Spurs-Pelicans game that same day would determine seeding.

A win for the Spurs means it's Golden State-Minnesota in the first round, and a Spurs loss pairs them with the reigning champions.

The Utah Jazz closing the season 0-2 could also shake things up. If that scenario occurs, and Minnesota beats Denver, then San Antonio defeating New Orleans would give us a Jazz-Warriors series. A Spurs loss provides a Timberwolves-Warriors series.

Wrap your minds around that, and brace yourselves for a chaotic final few days of regular season basketball.

- h/t to The Athletic's Anthony Slater