The NBA playoffs are almost here. With less than three weeks left in the regular season, the postseason is set to begin April 16 with the Play-In Tournament. The playoffs get started April 20. While it seems likely we know most of the teams that are going to qualify for the postseason, there is plenty to be decided in the regular season's closing weeks. Seeding, home-court advantage and the chance to avoid the Play-In Tournament are all on the line between now and April 14.
So what's the latest in the NBA's playoff picture? The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, and now the Bucks' lead over the Knicks for the East's No. 2 seed has shrunk to one game in the loss column. Milwaukee and New York still have one head-to-head contest remaining on April 7, but Milwaukee has already clinched the tiebreaker.
As a reminder, the NBA's Play-In Tournament will determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences. Four teams in each conference (the 7-10 seeds) will enter the Play-In Tournament, while the top six seeds will automatically qualify for playoff spots. The seventh- and eighth-placed teams will face each other for the No. 7 seed. The ninth- and 10th-placed teams will face each other in another game, and then the loser of the No. 7/No. 8 game will face the winner of the No. 9/No. 10 game for the No. 8 seed.
For the remainder of the season, this will be your one-stop shop playoff picture. We've got you covered on everything from the current standings to tiebreaker scenarios and magic numbers for both play-in spots and top-six seeds.
Here's where we stand entering play on Friday, March 29.
Playoff bracket if the season ended today...
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
1. Denver Nuggets (51-22)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (2)
- Tiebreaker vs. OKC: OKC has clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Minnesota: Tied 1-1 with two to play
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (50-22)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (2)
- Tiebreaker vs. Denver: Tied 1-1 with two to play
- Tiebreaker vs. OKC: Wolves currently own via division record
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. Denver: OKC has clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Minnesota: Wolves currently own via division record
4. Los Angeles Clippers (45-27)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: Pelicans have clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Clippers lead 2-0 with two to play
5. New Orleans Pelicans (45-28)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Pelicans have clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Sacramento: Pelicans have clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Suns lead 1-0 with two to play
6. Dallas Mavericks (43-29)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (5)
- Tiebreaker vs. Sacramento: Kings lead 2-1 with two to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Mavs clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: Mavs lead 2-0 with two to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Mavs clinched
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
7. Phoenix Suns (43-30)
- Magic Numbers: Play-In spot (6)
- Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: Suns lead 1-0 with two to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Clippers lead 2-0 with two to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Sacramento: Tied 2-2 with one to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Mavs clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: Suns clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Lakers clinched
8. Sacramento Kings (42-30)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (6)
- Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: Pelicans have clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Kings lead 2-1 with two to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Tied 2-2 with one to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: Kings lead via division record
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Kings have clinched
9. Los Angeles Lakers (41-32)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (7)
- Tiebreaker vs. Golden State: Warriors lead 2-1 with one to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Lakers clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Mavs clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Sacramento: Kings clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Houston: Rockets lead via conference record
10. Golden State Warriors (38-34)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (10)
- Tiebreaker vs. Sacramento: Kings lead via division record
- Tiebreaker vs. Dallas: Mavs lead 2-0 with two to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Phoenix: Suns clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Warriors lead 2-1 with one to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Rockets: Warriors clinched
IN THE HUNT
11. Houston Rockets (37-35)
- Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Rockets lead via conference record
- Tiebreaker vs. Warriors: Warriors clinched
EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Boston Celtics (57-16)
- Clinched: No. 1 seed
- Magic Number: Best overall record (5)
2. Milwaukee Bucks (46-27)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. New York: Bucks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Bucks lead via division leader
3. New York Knicks (44-28)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (5)
- Tiebreaker vs. Milwaukee: Bucks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Knicks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Orlando: Magic clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Knicks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Knicks clinched
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (5)
- Tiebreaker vs. Milwaukee: Bucks lead via division leader
- Tiebreaker vs. New York: Knicks clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Orlando: Magic currently own via division leader
5. Orlando Magic (42-30)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (7)
- Tiebreaker vs. Cleveland: Magic currently own via division leader
- Tiebreaker vs. New York: Magic clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Magic clinched
6. Indiana Pacers (41-33)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Magic Number: Playoff spot (8)
- Tiebreaker vs. Orlando: Magic clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Tied 1-1 with one to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Pacers clinched
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
7. Miami Heat (39-33)
- Clinched: Play-In spot
- Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Tied 1-1 with one to play
- Tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia: Miami leads 2-1 with one to play
8. Philadelphia 76ers (39-34)
- Clinched: Play-in spot
- Tiebreaker vs. Indiana: Pacers clinched
- Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Miami leads 2-1 with one to play
9. Chicago Bulls (35-38)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (3)
- Tiebreaker vs. Atlanta: Bulls clinched
10. Atlanta Hawks (34-39)
- Magic Number: Play-In spot (5)
- Tiebreaker vs. Chicago: Bulls clinched
Looking for more NBA coverage? John Gonzalez, Bill Reiter, Ashley Nicole Moss and special guests dive deep into the league's biggest storylines daily on the Beyond the Arc podcast.
