NBA Triple Threat: Your (almost) daily roundup of last night's action in the Association:

A smaller edition than usual tonight as the battle for the 8th seed in the West changes yet again.

Utah 124, Denver 97 I doubt Nuggets fans are really surprised with this one. For the most part, this game was all Utah. The Jazz pounced at the start, scoring 40 points in the first quarter. The Nuggets did rebound from that, starting the second quarter with 14 straight, and in the third taking a one point lead. A 12-2 run late in the period for Utah proved to be the death blow though. The Jazz are now 36-4 at home this year, but as of now would not have home court for their first round series. They must be Houston in their next game to have any chance of getting it.

Golden State 122, LA Clippers 116 Just like that, 8th place is tied. The Warriors started hot, scoring 42 points in the first quarter and having a 20 point lead at one point. However, their defensive woes got the Clippers back in it, including a 14 point run in the third and fourth to get within one. Golden State recovered with a 10-2 run of their own to put it out of reach. The Warriors did not trail at all in this game.

What's Next? The Nuggets and Warriors are both 48-32. Denver owns the tiebreaker, so obviously right now they would get in. The remaining schedules are:

Denver: Houston, Memphis
Golden State: @ Phoenix, Seattle

It's probably safe to assume that both teams will win their last game, so realistically, it'll come down to their next games. The Nuggets play tomorrow; the Warriors on Monday. Both the Rockets and Suns are still fighting for playoff seeding, so they'll be no resting of starters. The advantage here has to go to the Nuggets since they'll be at home, but can they recover from tonight's beating? If they lose tomorrow, that'll be the Warriors' chance. If the Nuggets can win, that should just about do it.

Sacramento 94, New Orleans 91 Ouch. With this loss, the Hornets drop into a tie with the Lakers for the top spot in the West. The Lakers have the tiebreaker. The Hornets' lead in the Southwest is also down to just a half game on the Spurs and Jazz. Sacramento won despite missing Kevin Martin and Brad Miller. Ron Artest, still recovering from a sprained right thumb, picked up the slack, hitting four big threes in the fourth to keep the Hornets at bay.

Now it's your turn: share your thoughts on the on and off court action Saturday in the NBA.