Playoffs: Nuggets and Lakers
The NBA regular season closed with the Denver Nuggets locking up the No. 3 seed and the Los Angeles Lakers finishing No. 4 in the Western Conference. ( ) Meanwhile the Toronto Raptors clinched a direct playoff spot and avoided the play‑in tournament as the league pivots immediately to the play‑in games that will determine the final Nos. 7 and 8 seeds. ( )
The National Basketball Association playoff bracket is set at the top, with Denver in the West’s No. 3 spot and Los Angeles in No. 4 after Sunday’s regular-season finale. (nba.com) The official bracket shows Denver at 54-28 against the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers at 53-29 against the No. 5 Houston Rockets in first-round series that begin after the play-in round. (nba.com) Toronto also moved out of the play-in and into the East’s No. 5 seed at 46-36, setting up a first-round matchup with the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers. (nba.com) The play-in tournament fills only the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each conference, with teams ranked seventh through 10th playing from April 14 through April 17. The full playoffs start April 18. (nba.com) In the West, the No. 7 Phoenix Suns host the No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers, and the No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers host the No. 10 Golden State Warriors. In the East, the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers host the No. 8 Orlando Magic, and the No. 9 Charlotte Hornets host the No. 10 Miami Heat. (nba.com) Under the National Basketball Association format, the winner of each 7-versus-8 game claims the No. 7 seed immediately. The loser gets one more game against the winner of the 9-versus-10 matchup for the No. 8 seed. (nba.com) That leaves Oklahoma City and San Antonio waiting at the top of the West bracket as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, while Detroit and Boston hold those spots in the East. The bracket now fixes 10 of the 16 playoff positions before the play-in games tip off Tuesday, April 14. (nba.com) The immediate next step is the four play-in games on April 14 and April 15, followed by the two final seed-deciding games on April 17. By Saturday, April 18, the postseason field will be complete. (nba.com)
