Last‑night seeding shocks
The regular season finale produced big, decisive games — Toronto beat Brooklyn 136–101 to clinch its first postseason berth since 2022 and the No. 6 seed, Denver beat San Antonio 128–118 to lock the No. 3 seed, while Portland edged Sacramento 122–110 for the West’s No. 8 and Charlotte topped New York 110–96 to secure a No. 9 play‑in slot. (Other notable final scores included Dallas 149–Chicago, Lakers 131–Utah, Houston 132–Memphis, Detroit 133–Indiana, Phoenix 135–OKC and Miami 143–Atlanta.) (x.com 1) (x.com 2) (x.com 3)
Toronto did not just reach the postseason on Sunday, April 12. The Raptors’ 136-101 win over Brooklyn pushed them out of the play-in tournament and into the Eastern Conference’s No. 5 seed. (nba.com) The National Basketball Association sends the top six teams in each conference straight to the playoffs, while teams seeded seventh through 10th go to the play-in tournament that starts April 14. Toronto finished 46-36, tied with Atlanta but ahead in the standings, while Charlotte’s 110-96 win at New York locked the Hornets into the East’s No. 9 play-in spot at 44-38. (nba.com) (espn.com) (nba.com) The West moved just as sharply. Denver’s 128-118 win at San Antonio secured the No. 3 seed at 54-28, and Portland’s 122-110 win over Sacramento gave the Trail Blazers the No. 8 play-in position at 42-40. (nba.com) (espn.com) (nba.com) That distinction changes the path immediately. A No. 5 or No. 6 seed avoids the extra elimination games, while a No. 8 seed gets two chances to win one play-in berth and a No. 9 seed must win twice to reach the first round. (nba.com) The final standings left Detroit, Boston, New York, Cleveland, Toronto and Atlanta in the East’s top six, with Philadelphia, Orlando, Charlotte and Miami in the play-in. In the West, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston and Minnesota finished in the top six, with Phoenix, Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State headed to the play-in. (espn.com) (nba.com) Sunday’s 15-game finale settled 10 of the 20 postseason seeds, according to the league’s playoff tracker. The play-in tournament opens Tuesday, April 14, and the first round begins Saturday, April 18. (nba.com) The bracket now reflects how little separated direct entry from the play-in. Toronto and Atlanta finished with the same 46-36 record, Philadelphia and Orlando both ended 45-37, and Portland and the Clippers both closed 42-40 before Portland took the No. 8 line. (espn.com) By the end of the last night of the regular season, the biggest swing was simple: a few April 12 results turned four teams’ next games from survival tests into seeded postseason matchups. (nba.com)
