First, the bad news: Dallas's win tonight eliminated the Nuggets from contention for the #2. It also eliminated the Suns.

Now, the good news: it's looking very likely that Portland will settle into the sixth seed, suddenly making the third seed a very appealing position to be in.

If the Nuggets win tomorrow, look for the Mavs to throw their season finale and pray for a miracle by the Warriors in Portland. [Spoiler alert: the Warriors will not win in Portland.] Thus, a win by Denver tomorrow virtually guarantees a Denver-Portland matchup, while the Dallas Marshmallows host the surging Spurs (since the Blazers own the tie-breaker against the Spurs).

If the Nuggets lose tomorrow and the Jazz win, the Mavs will be forced to actually show up against the Spurs, because they would lose the tie-breaker to the Jazz if Utah beats Phoenix. Since Utah is not going to lose to the Warriors either, the Nuggets would end up facing the loser of the Utah-Phoenix game. If it's Utah, the Nuggets get home court as the #4, but if it's Phoenix, the Nuggets start on the road as the #5. As optimistic as I can try to be, the latter would be a nightmare scenario and a huge blow to the Nuggets' title hopes. And, oh yeah, there's this team called the "Lakers" locked into this side of the bracket as well.

Bottom line: By beating Phoenix in what is effectively a one-game playoff (albeit on the road), the Nuggets can make their path back to the WCF a whole lot easier.

Bottomer line: Beat Phoenix.