2024 NBA Playoffs Scenarios: As the NBA regular season enters its last week, a great deal about the standings and playoff seeds is still up in the air. It’s amazing how disorganised and chaotic both the Eastern and Western Conference playoff outlooks are.
There is some competition for some seeds, but the 20 clubs (10 in each conference) that advance to the playoffs and play-in rounds are already determined. The Boston Celtics are the club with the best chance of winning the East and will be the only team with 60 or more wins overall. That much is certain when it comes to seed.
Eastern Conference playoff race
There are several possible outcomes in the competition for the East’s fourth through eighth slots. Orlando’s loss against Milwaukee on Wednesday created the chance that it would drop out of the top six.
The Magic play their final games of the season on Sunday against the Bucks and on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Friday’s game between Cleveland and Indiana is expected to keep the Cavaliers in the No. 5 spot because they play the tanking Charlotte Hornets to end the regular season.
Updated NBA Standings:
Eastern Conference
- Boston (62-17)
- Milwaukee (49-31)
- New York (47-32)
- Cleveland (47-33)
- Orlando (46-34)
- Indiana (46-34)
Play-In Race:
- Philadelphia (45-35)
- Miami (44-36)
- Chicago (37-42)
- Atlanta (36-44)
Philadelphia can secure the No. 7 seed and hosting rights for the duration of the play-in round by defeating Orlando and the Brooklyn Nets. Indiana will finish ahead of Philadelphia if it is the only tie between the two teams and has the advantage in the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Sixers.
There’s a chance that the Magic draw 1-1 and the Pacers and Sixers prevail. Orlando would then slip to the No. 7 seed, and the Magic and Sixers would be tied. Friday’s outcome won’t matter in the tiebreaker because the Sixers have defeated Orlando in their previous two games this season.
Miami’s loss against the Dallas Mavericks appears to have cemented them as the eighth seed. The Heat will get two chances to qualify for the postseason. The Chicago Bulls should host the No. 9-versus-No. 10 matchup. They finish with Detroit, Washington, and New York. Atlanta visits Minnesota and Indiana.
Western Conference playoff race
Teams in the upper half of the West standings have reason to be concerned. As things stand right now, though, the ninth-place Lakers are in the play-in round and will have to win two games to secure the eighth seed in the West.
Also, the Lakers are 2-9 against Denver during the previous two seasons, including eight straight losses, and 2-7 this season against the three teams fighting for the top seed—Oklahoma City, Minnesota, and Denver. The pursuit of the top six spots in the Western Conference by the Phoenix Suns was greatly aided on Wednesday.
In order to get within a half-game of the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. Thursday is the final game that New Orleans will play, and it will be against the Sacramento Kings.
The first of just a few games remaining in the last four days of the season that will significantly affect the play-in spots is Thursday’s Pels-Kings matchup. Because teams ahead of the play-in slots keep losing, like the Orlando Magic did on Wednesday, the Eastern Conference play-in race is just as tough as the Western one.
Western Conference:
- Denver (56-24)
- Oklahoma City (55-25)
- Minnesota (55-25)
- Los Angeles Clippers (51-29)
- Dallas (50-30)
- New Orleans (47-32)
Play-In Race
- Phoenix (47-33)
- Sacramento (45-34)
- Los Angeles Lakers (45-35)
- Golden State (44-35)
The Pelicans are under pressure to win in Sacramento to stay ahead by a full game heading into Friday after Phoenix’s victory over the Clippers. The Suns won their last two games, but since the Clippers rested their starters, the victory shouldn’t be widely praised.
This season, New Orleans has defeated Sacramento in all three of its meetings. The Pelicans would trail the Suns by one game following a season sweep, and they would face Golden State on the road this Friday.
With a victory over the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday, the Warriors should draw even with the Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State defeated the Lakers in their season series on Tuesday, and if they win, they may move up to the No. 9 seed.
The Lakers’ destiny will be determined on Sunday when they go to New Orleans. On Friday, they ought to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies.
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