Current:Home > MyNBA playoff picture: How the final weekend of regular season can shape NBA playoff bracket -Wealth Nexus Pro
NBA playoff picture: How the final weekend of regular season can shape NBA playoff bracket
View
Date:2025-04-16 14:47:14
The NBA playoff picture remains blurry even if aspects of the standings in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference are coming into focus.
Two days of games remain – 15 games on Friday and 15 games on Sunday.
Here’s what we know: Boston locked up the No. 1 seed, it seems weeks ago, in the East. Chicago will play host to Atlanta in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game in the East. After that, spots 2-8 are undetermined, and somehow the battered New York Knicks still have a shot at the second seed. Indiana and Orlando can finish as high as No. 3 and as low as No. 8.
In the West, Sacramento, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the play-in scenario along with either Phoenix or New Orleans, but the order is unknown, and the Los Angeles Clippers will play Dallas in the first round.
New Orleans and Phoenix and fighting for sixth place, and Denver, Minnesota and Oklahoma City are battling for the top three seeds.
Here are Friday's games and what's at stake:
Chicago at Washington, 7 p.m. ET, League Pass
The Bulls have secured the No. 9 seed and get Atlanta at home in the 9-10 play-in game.
Orlando at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET, League Pass
The Magic are trying to hold onto a top-six seed, and the Sixers are trying to move up from seventh into the top six. Both want to avoid the play-in game. Huge game for both teams. Orlando earns a top-six seed with a victory. If Philadelphia loses, it is in the play-in game.
Brooklyn at New York, 7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass
The No. 2 seed remains within reach for the Knicks, and a win vs. Brooklyn secures the No. 3 seed at least.
Indiana at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass
Cleveland can finish as high as No. 2 or as low as No. 7, and the Pacers can finish as high as No. 3 or as low as No. 8. The Cavaliers clinch a top-six seed with a victory or a Philadelphia loss, and the Pacers clinch a top-six seed with a victory or a playoff loss.
Charlotte at Boston, 7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass
This game matters because Charlotte wants the best lottery odds it can get by losing as many games as it can.
Denver at San Antonio, 8 p.m. ET, League Pass
The Nuggets can get the top seed in the West if they win their final two games of the season. Also, a Nuggets victory combined with Oklahoma City and Minnesota losses gives them the top seed in the West.
Milwaukee at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV
This is an important game for both teams with a No. 2 seed on the line for both teams in their conferences. The Thunder are guaranteed no worse than a No. 3 seed, and the second-place Bucks could fall to No. 4. With a victory, they clinch the No. 2 seed.
Atlanta at Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET, League Pass
While the Timberwolves don’t control their destiny for the No. 1 seed in the West, they do for the No. 2 seed based on the tiebreaker.
Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis, 8 p.m. ET, League Pass
Spots 6-10 in the West may just come down to the final day of the season. The Lakers need the win if they want to avoid 10th place and at least one play-in game on the road.
Toronto at Miami, 8 p.m. ET, League Pass
Even though the Heat are in eighth place, they still have a shot at getting the No. 5 seed though they will go to the play-in game with a loss or an Orlando victory.
Detroit at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. ET, League Pass
The Mavs still have a shot at the No. 4 seed – they trail by one game the Los Angeles Clippers, who own the tiebreaker based on a 2-1 edge in the season series.
Houston at Portland, 10 p.m. ET, League Pass
Lottery ping-pong balls matter for Portland.
New Orleans at Golden State, 10 p.m. ET, League Pass
The Pelicans can finish sixth by winning their final two games. They can also get the sixth seed with a victory against Golden State and a Phoenix loss to Sacramento. If Phoenix and New Orleans conclude the regular season with identical records, the Suns win the head-to-head tiebreaker for the sixth seed. The Warriors can finish seventh … or they can end up 10th.
Phoenix at Sacramento, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
The Suns still have a shot at the No. 6 seed, trailing New Orleans by one game. The Kings are stuck in the play-in game.
Utah at Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m. ET, League Pass
The Clippers will play the Mavs in the first round in the 4-5 game. If the Clippers beat the Jazz, they get home court in the series.
veryGood! (17182)
Related
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Should cellphones be banned from classrooms? What students, teachers say
- University board announces new chancellor at NC A&T
- Prosecutor asks police to keep working gun investigation involving Michigan lawmaker
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- 40 Celeb Swimsuit Picks Under $45: Kyle Richards, JoJo Fletcher, Porsha Williams, Paige DeSorbo & More
- How to find your phone's expiration date and make it last as long as possible
- Peso Pluma and Cardi B give bilingual bars in 'Put 'Em in the Fridge' collab: Listen
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Iowa trucker whose body was found in field died of hypothermia after taking meth, autopsy finds
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Copa America 2024 live: Updates, score as Canada keeps Messi, Argentina scoreless, 0-0
- College World Series championship round breakdown: Does Tennessee or Texas A&M have the edge?
- Perfect Match’s Jess Vestal and Harry Jowsey Reveal What Went Wrong in Romance Off Camera
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Hiker in California paralyzed from spider bite, rescued after last-minute phone call
- Donald Sutherland's ex Jane Fonda, son Kiefer react to his death at age 88: 'Heartbroken'
- Donald Sutherland, actor who starred in M*A*S*H, Hunger Games and more, dies at 88
Recommendation
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
Iberian lynx rebounds from brink of extinction, hailed as the greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved
2 crop dusting airplanes collided in southern Idaho, killing 1 pilot and severely injuring the other
Prison, restitution ordered for ex-tribal leader convicted of defrauding Oglala Sioux Tribe
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Psst! Urban Outfitters Is Having a Mega Sale, Score Dresses & Shorts for $19.99 Plus Home Decor for $4.99
Athletics to move to 1st week of 2028 Olympics, swimming to 2nd week, plus some venues changed
New car inventory and prices: What shoppers need to know