NBA playoff picture, standings: Bracket, matchups as Lakers clinch Play-In spot and Warriors miss opportunity

Here's your one-stop shop for everything you need to know on the NBA playoff races

By: cbssports.com

Apr 06 2024
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NBA playoff picture, standings: Bracket, matchups as Lakers clinch Play-In spot and Warriors miss opportunity

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The NBA playoffs are almost here. Less than two weeks remain in the regular season, and the postseason is set to begin April 16 with the Play-In Tournament. The playoffs get started April 20. The playoff picture is coming into focus (13 teams have already clinched postseason spots), but there is still plenty to be decided in the regular season's closing games. 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 Los Angeles Lakers clinched a Play-In Tournament berth with Houston's loss to Miami on Friday. The Warriors missed a chance to clinch their Play-In spot with a loss to Dallas. It was a major missed opportunity for Golden State, which could've pulled within one loss of the No. 8 seed after Sacramento's loss to Boston.

Also on Friday, the Bucks took another disastrous loss, this time to the Raptors, who came in on a 15-game losing streak. Milwaukee now holds just a one-loss lead over No. 3 Cleveland and a two-loss lead over No. 4 Orlando and No. 5 New York with five games to play. Oh, by the way, the Bucks play the Knicks on Sunday and still have two matchups with Orlando remaining.

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 Saturday, April 6.

Playoff bracket if the season ended today...

West
(1) Timberwolves vs. (8) Pelicans/Kings/Lakers/Warriors
(2) Nuggets vs. (7) Pelicans/Kings
(3) Thunder vs. (6) Suns
(4) Clippers vs. (5) Mavericks

East
(1) Celtics vs. (8) Pacers/76ers/Bulls/Hawks
(2) Bucks vs. (7) Pacers/76ers
(3) Cavaliers vs. (6) Heat
(4) Magic vs. (5) Knicks

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Minnesota Timberwolves (53-24)

Clinched: Top-four seed
Magic Number: Top-three seed (2)
Tiebreaker vs. Nuggets: Wolves clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Thunder: Wolves currently own via division record

2. Denver Nuggets (53-24)

Clinched: Top-four seed
Magic Number: Top-three seed (2)
Tiebreaker vs. Thunder: Thunder clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Wolves clinched

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (52-25)

Clinched: Playoff spot
Magic Number: Top-four seed (1)
Tiebreaker vs. Nuggets: Thunder clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Wolves currently own via division record

4. Los Angeles Clippers (49-28)

Clinched: Play-In spot
Magic Number: Playoff spot (3)
Tiebreaker vs. Pelicans: Pelicans clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Suns: Clippers lead 2-0 with two to play

5. Dallas Mavericks (47-30)

Clinched: Play-In spot
Magic Number: Playoff spot (5)
Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: Dallas currently owns via division win percentage
Tiebreaker vs. Kings: Mavs lead via conference record
Tiebreaker vs. Suns: Mavs clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Warriors: Mavs lead 2-0 with two to play
Tiebreaker vs. Lakers: Mavs clinched