All 30 play — NBA finale
The NBA regular season finishes today with all 30 teams in action and meaningful seeding still up for grabs. (sports.yahoo.com). As of this morning 11 teams had already clinched playoff spots, and outlets flagged nine specific games that directly affect seeding and play‑in scenarios — the Raptors can move up to fifth or slide into the play‑in depending on Sunday results and tiebreakers (clinching tracker: must‑watch slate: Raptors breakdown: ).
The National Basketball Association regular season ends Sunday, April 12, with all 30 teams playing and 10 postseason seeds still unsettled. (nba.com) The league scheduled all 15 games on one day, with the Eastern Conference slate starting at 6 p.m. Eastern and the Western Conference games at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. The play-in tournament starts April 14 and the playoffs open April 18. (nba.com, nba.com) As of Sunday morning, 11 of the 12 top-six playoff spots were already locked up, and one East automatic berth plus multiple West seeds still depended on the final results. CBS Sports reported that one playoff spot and 10 total postseason seeds would be decided on Sunday. (cbssports.com) In the East, Detroit, Boston, New York and Cleveland had already clinched the top four seeds, while Atlanta had secured a top-six finish without locking in No. 5 or No. 6. Toronto, Orlando and Philadelphia entered the day still fighting over the last two guaranteed playoff spots and the No. 7 position in the play-in. (cbssports.com, nbcsports.com) Toronto’s range was especially wide. NBC Sports reported the Raptors could climb to No. 5 with a win over Brooklyn and an Atlanta loss in Miami, or fall into the play-in with a loss and wins by Orlando or Philadelphia depending on the tiebreakers. (nbcsports.com) The lower East play-in was not settled either. Charlotte had already clinched a place in the No. 9 versus No. 10 game against Miami, but the Hornets would host with a win over New York or a Heat loss to Atlanta. (cbssports.com, nbcsports.com) In the West, Oklahoma City had clinched No. 1 and San Antonio had clinched No. 2, but seeds No. 3 through No. 10 were still moving. The Los Angeles Lakers had secured a top-four seed, Houston was locked into No. 5, and Denver could still hold or lose No. 3 depending on the late games. (nba.com, cbssports.com) The most consequential Western games included Denver at San Antonio, Utah at the Lakers, Golden State at the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento at Portland. NBC Sports listed nine Sunday games with direct playoff implications and called Nuggets-Spurs “the juiciest game of the day.” (nbcsports.com) Portland entered Sunday in the West’s No. 8 spot after beating the Clippers on Friday, and the Trail Blazers could lock that seed with a win over Sacramento or a Clippers loss to Golden State. That race matters because the No. 7 and No. 8 teams get two chances to win one play-in game and reach the first round. (cbssports.com, nba.com) The tiebreakers are standard but decisive on a day like this. The National Basketball Association says a two-team tie starts with head-to-head record, then division-winner status, then division and conference results, followed by records against playoff-eligible teams. (nba.com) By the end of Sunday night, the bracket will be set except for the four teams that still have to survive the play-in. After 82 games, the last day is deciding who goes straight to a best-of-seven series and who has to take the longer route. (nba.com, nba.com)
