West seeding finalised
The NBA regular season finished with Denver locked into the No. 3 seed, the Lakers settling at No. 4, and the Spurs confirmed as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Final placements were decided on Sunday results and tiebreakers after the regular season closed, reshaping first-round matchups for the postseason. The bracket now transitions from seeding uncertainty to set matchups as teams prepare for the playoffs. (usatoday.com) (kens5.com)
Denver closed the regular season in the West’s No. 3 spot, the Los Angeles Lakers finished No. 4, and San Antonio held No. 2 after Sunday’s final games. (nba.com) The official Western bracket now shows Oklahoma City first at 64-18, San Antonio second at 62-20, Denver third at 54-28, the Lakers fourth at 53-29, Houston fifth at 52-30, and Minnesota sixth at 49-33. (nba.com) Denver removed the last doubt by beating San Antonio 128-118 on April 12, with NBA.com listing that result as the game that clinched the Nuggets’ No. 3 seed. (nba.com) The Lakers also won Sunday, beating Utah 131-107, but NBA playoff scenarios published before tipoff showed Los Angeles could only move to No. 3 with a Lakers win and a Denver loss. Denver’s victory kept the Lakers at No. 4. (nba.com) (espn.com) That locked in two Western first-round series before the play-in tournament even starts: Denver against Minnesota in the 3-versus-6 matchup, and the Lakers against Houston in the 4-versus-5 series. (nba.com) San Antonio’s place was already secure at the top end of the bracket, and the Spurs now wait for the No. 7 seed that will come out of the play-in field. Oklahoma City, the West’s No. 1 seed, also waits for a play-in winner. (nba.com) The play-in matchups in the West are Phoenix against Portland in the 7-versus-8 game and the Los Angeles Clippers against Golden State in the 9-versus-10 game. The 7-8 winner advances directly to face San Antonio, while the 9-10 winner must play again for the last playoff berth. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The calendar moves quickly from here. NBA.com says the SoFi Play-In Tournament runs from April 14 through April 17, and the first round of the playoffs opens April 18. (nba.com)
