NBA playoff picture, standings, bracket: Warriors gain leg up on Lakers; Clippers, Mavs clinch playoff spots

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

By: cbssports.com

Apr 10 2024
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NBA playoff picture, standings, bracket: Warriors gain leg up on Lakers; Clippers, Mavs clinch playoff spots

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The final week of the 2023-24 NBA regular season is here, and the postseason gets started next week. We know the 20 teams who will qualify for the postseason, but almost every seed is still up for grabs. Seven teams have clinched a top-six seed and automatic entry into the first round of the playoffs.

The Warriors defeated the Lakers with a historic 3-point barrage on Tuesday. Golden State is still No. 10 in the West, but with the season set to conclude this Sunday, the Warriors control their own destiny to finish at least above the Lakers for No. 9 as they have now clinched the season tiebreaker. Catching the Kings for the No. 8 seed, which would give the Warriors two shots to secure one win for a playoff spot, is within a reasonable reach as Sacramento leads Golden State by an effective two games (Sacramento is up by one loss but owns the tiebreaker) with three to play.

The Kings also lead the Lakers by an effective two games as they have cliched that tiebreaker as well.

Also on Tuesday, the Suns fell to the Clippers to drop below the play-in line at No. 7. The Clippers clinched a playoff spot with the win, and the Pelicans, who defeated Portland, moved up to No. 6. The Mavericks also clinched a playoff spot with their win over Charlotte.

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 Tuesday, April 9.

Playoff bracket if the season ended today...

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

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

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Minnesota Timberwolves (55-24)

Clinched: Top-three seed
Magic number: No. 1 seed in West (3)
Tiebreaker vs. Nuggets: Wolves clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Thunder: Wolves currently own via division record

2. Denver Nuggets (55-24)

Clinched: Top-three seed
Magic Number: Top-two seed (3)
Tiebreaker vs. Thunder: Thunder clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Wolves clinched

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (54-25)

Clinched: Top-three seed
Tiebreaker vs. Nuggets: Thunder clinched
Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Wolves currently own via division record

4. Los Angeles Clippers (51-28)

Clinched: Playoff spot
Tiebreaker vs. Mavericks: Clippers clinched

5. Dallas Mavericks (49-30)

Clinched: Playoff spot
Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Clippers clinched
Tiebreaker vs. New Orleans: Dallas currently owns via division win percentage