The NBA playoffs are approaching. There are less than three weeks left in the regular season, and the postseason is scheduled to begin with a play-in tournament on April 16th. Playoffs begin on April 20th. Most teams seem to know who will qualify for the postseason, but there are a lot of decisions to be made in the final weeks of the regular season. Between now and April 14th, seeding, home court advantage and a chance to avoid a play-in tournament are all at stake.
So what's the latest on the NBA playoffs? The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, cutting the Bucks' lead in the loss column over the East's No. 2 seed Knicks to one game. Milwaukee and New York still have one game left in their head-to-head matchup on April 7th, but Milwaukee has already clinched the tiebreaker.
As a reminder, the NBA play-in tournament will determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences. Four teams from each conference (seeds 7-10) will participate in a play-in tournament, with the top six seeds automatically qualifying for a playoff spot. The 7th and 8th place teams will compete for the 7th seed. The 9th and 10th place teams will play in separate matches, followed by the 7th/10th place losers. The 8th game will be against the winner of No. 9/No.1. 10th game for the 8th seed.
For the rest of the season, this will be your one-stop-shop playoff picture. We've got everything from the current standings to tiebreaker scenarios and the magic numbers for both play-in spots and top-six seeds.
This is the situation at the start of the game on Friday, March 29th.
If the season ended today, the playoff bracket…
West
(1) Nuggets vs. (8) Suns/Kings/Lakers/Warriors
(2) Timberwolves vs. (7) Suns/Kings
(3) Thunder vs. (6) Mavericks
(4) Clippers vs. (5) Pelicans
east
(1) Celtics vs. (8) Heat/76ers/Bulls/Hawks
(2) Bucks vs. (7) Heat/76ers
(3) Knicks vs. (6) Pacers
(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Magic
western conference standings
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spots (2)
- Tiebreak vs OKC: OKC won
- Tiebreak vs. Minnesota: 1-1 draw with 2 players playing
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spots (2)
- Tiebreaker vs. Denver: 1-1 draw with 2 players playing
- Tiebreak vs OKC: The Wolves currently own through division records
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. Denver: OKC won
- Tiebreak vs. Minnesota: The Wolves currently own through division records
- Magic number: Play-in spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: the pelicans won
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Clippers lead 2-0 with two games remaining
5. New Orleans Pelicans (45-28)
- Magic number: Play-in spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: the pelicans won
- Tiebreak vs. Sacramento: the pelicans won
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Suns lead 1-0 with 2 games remaining
- Magic number: Play-in spot (5)
- Tiebreak vs. Sacramento: Kings lead 2-1 with two games remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Mavs confirmed
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: Mavs lead 2-0, 2 games remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Mavs confirmed
play-in tournament
- Magic number: Play-in spot (6)
- Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: Suns lead 1-0 with 2 games remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Clippers lead 2-0 with two games remaining
- Tiebreak vs. Sacramento: Draw 2-2, 1 game remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Mavs confirmed
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: suns win
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Lakers decided
- Magic number: Play-in spot (6)
- Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: the pelicans won
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Kings lead 2-1 with two games remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Draw 2-2, 1 game remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: Kings lead in district records
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: the kings won
9. Los Angeles Lakers (41-32)
- Magic number: Play-in spot (7)
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: Warriors lead 2-1 with one game left
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Lakers decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Mavs confirmed
- Tiebreak vs. Sacramento: Kings decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Houston: Rockets lead conference record
- Magic number: Play-in spot (10)
- Tiebreak vs. Sacramento: Kings lead in district records
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Mavs lead 2-0, 2 games remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: suns win
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Warriors lead 2-1 with one game left
- Tiebreaker vs. Rockets: Warriors win
in the hunt
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Rockets lead conference record
- Tiebreaker vs. Warriors: Warriors win
eastern conference standings
1. Boston Celtics (57-16)
- clinch: 1st seed
- Magic number: Overall best record (5)
2. Milwaukee Bucks (46-27)
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spot (3)
- Tiebreak vs. New York: Bucks decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Bucks lead the division
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spots (5)
- Tiebreak vs. Milwaukee: Bucks decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Knicks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Orlando: Magic has been decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Knicks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Knicks clinched
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spots (5)
- Tiebreak vs. Milwaukee: Bucks lead the division
- Tiebreak vs. New York: Knicks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Orlando: Magic currently owned via Division Leader
5. Orlando Magic (42-30)
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spot (7)
- Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Magic currently owned via Division Leader
- Tiebreak vs. New York: Magic has been decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Magic has been decided
6. Indiana Pacers (41-33)
- clinch: play-in spot
- Magic number: Playoff spots (8)
- Tiebreaker vs. Orlando: Magic has been decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Draw 1-1, 1 game remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Pacers decided
play-in tournament
- clinch: play-in spot
- Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Draw 1-1, 1 game remaining
- Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Miami leads 2-1 with one game remaining
- clinch: play-in spot
- Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Pacers decided
- Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Miami leads 2-1 with one game remaining
- Magic number: Play-in spot (3)
- Tiebreak vs. Atlanta: bulls win
- Magic number: Play-in spot (5)
- Tiebreaker vs. Chicago: bulls win
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