National Basketball Association

With the defending champion Lakers gone, who will come out of the West?

Updated Jun. 5, 2021 12:06 a.m. ET

The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James are out of the postseason after a quick and sad end for the defending NBA champions.

Their playoff run came to a screeching halt Thursday with a 113-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns in Game 6. The focus now shifts to the five remaining teams in the West: the top-seeded Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.

The Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies in five games to advance to the conference semifinals, and the Nuggets eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 6 on Thursday, the same day the Suns ousted the Lakers. The Mavericks and Clippers are still battling in their first-round series.

With the Lakers out of the way, which team has the best shot to go all the way? Let examine the case for each remaining team.

Dallas Mavericks

On Friday’s "First Things First," Nick Wright, who has praised the Suns from the beginning, said he's now concerned about Phoenix and sees Dallas as the favorite in the West.

"I’m conflicted here because I said before the Lakers-Suns series that I thought these were the two best teams in the West," Wright began. "So one would think that I would say, ‘OK, now the Lakers are out, and the Suns beat them, beat them handily, the Suns should be the favorites,’ but I’m concerned. … As much as I would love to see Chris Paul break through, I don’t think he’s going to be able to hold off for another 12-to-14 or so brutal playoff games.

"So I am going to go with the one team in the West that hasn’t actually made round two yet, and I’m gonna say the Mavs. I do think year two in the playoffs, age 22, one-man-show Luka Dončić is going to do what LeBron [James] did in that exact scenario nearly 15 years ago."

For more up-to-date news on all things Mavericks, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

LA Clippers

Wright’s co-host, Brandon Marshall , explained Friday why he’s sticking with his preseason pick of the Clippers to win the West.

"Someone told me defense wins championships," Marshall said. "Unfortunately, the Lakers came into the playoffs with the No. 1 defense, and they got bounced in the first round, so please miss me with all that defense stuff right now. … Even if the Lakers won last night, my answer doesn’t change. … It’s the Clippers.

"Here’s what’s gonna happen. You have Luka, who is sensational, and I love what Nick said. He can possibly make a statement … but here’s the deal: He’s tired. … I see them going to Game 7, and I’m gonna lean on the experience in Game 7, with Ty Lue, with Kawhi [Leonard] … and I see them coming out of it."

The No. 4 Clippers beat the No. 5 Mavs on Friday to send their series to a Game 7. Game 6 was the first in the series that was won by the home team, and this is the only first-round series to go the distance this postseason.

On "The Herd," Colin Cowherd agreed with Marshall, explaining why the "lovable loser" Clippers are the favorites in the West despite their rocky history in the playoffs.

"Chris Paul appears now mostly healthy … and Kawhi Leonard appears to be, next to Kevin Durant, the world’s best basketball player. He is on fire," Cowherd said. "Can the Clippers do, historically, what they’ve never done? … [Leonard] has the best playoff stats so far in the history of the game for non-centers. He’s 62% from the floor, 33 points a game. … After what I saw this weekend, with Kawhi and the Clippers … that’s probably the best team in the West."

For more up-to-date news on all things Clippers, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Utah Jazz

Former NBA champion and three-time All-Star Antoine Walker joined "First Things First" to share why he thinks it will be the Jazz who go the distance.

"It’s gotta be the Utah Jazz," Walker said. "[They've] got a chip on their shoulder after being eliminated in the first round last year. … They have all the pieces. They’re fairly healthy. We don’t know how serious Mike Conley’s injury is. He was playing great, so if he’s healthy and able to shake this mild hamstring he has, I like Utah to make a deep run.

"Donovan Mitchell is coming into his own. … 28 points a game, just the way he has been able to be aggressive after sitting out the first game coming off injury. He’s only getting better. … I like that they have every position filled. They can go 10-deep, and they can shoot the 3-ball. … I like the Jazz."

In Utah's closeout win over Memphis in Game 5, Mitchell scored 26 of his 30 points in the first half and finished the game with 10 assists and six rebounds. The Jazz's 24-year-old shooting guard recorded the fourth playoff game in franchise history with at least 30 points and 10 assists and is the youngest player to accomplish that feat.

For more up-to-date news on all things Jazz, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Denver Nuggets

A case could also be made for the Nuggets, who will face off against Phoenix in Game 1 on Monday, to come out of the West.

After taking a 3-2 series lead vs. Portland with a 147-140, double-overtime victory at home on Tuesday, the Nuggets sealed the deal by eliminating the Trail Blazers in Game 6 on Thursday. This is Denver's third straight season advancing to the Western Conference semifinals, and the Nuggets are in good shape with likely MVP Nikola Jokić at the helm.

With his 36-point game Thursday, Jokić became the first Nuggets player with five 30-point games in a playoff series (he has 13 career playoff games with at least 30 points). He averaged 33 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the first round.

For more up-to-date news on all things Nuggets, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Phoenix Suns

On the other hand, why not the Suns? They just eliminated the Lakers, after all, and are led by Paul and Devin Booker, who erupted for a career-high 47 points in the series-clinching Game 6.

Booker is the first Suns player to record a 40/10 playoff game since Amar’e Stoudemire did so in 2010, and he is the first to do so with more than five made 3-pointers.

"I'm going Phoenix. I'm going to go with the Suns," Rachel Bonnetta said on "FOX Bet Live," "They slayed the giant. What better momentum could you have going into the rest of the playoffs?"

Heading into Monday's Game 1, the Suns are favored to beat the Nuggets, according to FOX Bet.

For more on the remaining Western Conference playoff teams, check out the breakdown from "FOX Bet Live" below.

Who's the best bet to win the West with the Lakers eliminated? | FOX BET LIVE

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. Clay Travis, Cousin Sal and Rachel Bonnetta weigh in on which team wins the West.

For more up-to-date news on all things Suns, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!