Playoff seeds locked
The NBA regular season finished and the playoff bracket is now set — the Denver Nuggets secured the No. 3 seed in the West while the Los Angeles Lakers grabbed No. 4. The Play‑In Tournament field is finalized and starts in two days, with first‑round dates and specific Game 1 start times already announced for teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons. (usatoday.com) (si.com) (oklahoman.com) (freep.com)
The National Basketball Association playoff bracket is set after Sunday’s 15-game regular-season finale, with 10 teams locked into first-round spots and eight more headed to the Play-In Tournament. (nba.com) In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City finished first at 64-18, San Antonio took second at 62-20, Denver landed third at 54-28, and the Los Angeles Lakers finished fourth at 53-29. Houston is fifth at 52-30, Minnesota is sixth at 49-33, and the play-in field is Phoenix, Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Golden State. (nba.com) In the Eastern Conference, Detroit earned the top seed at 60-22, Boston finished second at 56-26, New York took third at 53-29, and Cleveland is fourth at 52-30. Toronto and Atlanta claimed the fifth and sixth seeds, while Philadelphia, Orlando, Charlotte, and Miami fill the East play-in field. (nba.com) The Play-In Tournament starts Tuesday, April 14, and runs through Friday, April 17, with the seventh- through 10th-place teams in each conference playing for the final two playoff spots. The National Basketball Association says all play-in games will stream exclusively on Prime Video. (nba.com) Tuesday’s games are Charlotte at Miami at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time and Portland at Phoenix at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Wednesday’s games are Orlando at Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Eastern time and Golden State at the Los Angeles Clippers at 10 p.m. Eastern time. (nba.com) The first round begins Saturday, April 18, and the league has already posted some Game 1 windows. Oklahoma City opens Sunday, April 19, at 2:30 p.m. Central time at Paycom Center, while Detroit opens its series Saturday, April 18, at 6 p.m. Eastern time at Little Caesars Arena. (nba.com) (freep.com) Denver’s reward for the No. 3 seed is a first-round matchup with Minnesota, while the Lakers open against Houston in the 4-versus-5 series. In the East, New York draws Atlanta and Cleveland faces Toronto. (nba.com) The bracket leaves two first-round opponents unresolved in each conference until the play-in ends on April 17. Detroit and Oklahoma City, the No. 1 seeds, will each face an eighth seed that is still to be decided. (nba.com) The postseason calendar is now fixed: play-in games this week, the playoffs starting April 18, and Game 1 of the National Basketball Association Finals scheduled for June 3. (nba.com)
