Playoff bracket locked
The NBA regular season has ended and the full playoff bracket is set, with play‑in games for seeds 7–10 beginning Tuesday, April 14. Denver clinched the No. 3 seed while the Lakers landed No. 4 — the seeding picture was finalized in Sunday’s results and the league moves immediately into the play‑in phase. (espn.com) (usatoday.com)
The National Basketball Association postseason field is set, and the play-in tournament opens Tuesday, April 14. (nba.com) In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City finished first at 64-18, San Antonio second at 62-20, Denver third at 54-28, and the Los Angeles Lakers fourth at 53-29. Houston claimed the fifth seed at 52-30, and Minnesota took sixth at 49-33. (espn.com) The West play-in matchups are Phoenix, the seventh seed at 45-37, against Portland, the eighth seed at 42-40, and the Los Angeles Clippers, the ninth seed at 42-40, against Golden State, the 10th seed at 37-45. (nba.com) In the Eastern Conference, Detroit earned the top seed at 60-22, Boston finished second at 56-26, New York third at 53-29, and Cleveland fourth at 52-30. Toronto and Atlanta both finished 46-36, with Toronto seeded fifth and Atlanta sixth. (espn.com) The East play-in field is Philadelphia and Orlando, both 45-37, in the 7-versus-8 game, with Charlotte at 44-38 facing Miami at 43-39 in the 9-versus-10 game. (nba.com) The format gives the seventh-place and eighth-place teams two chances to reach the playoffs. The 7-versus-8 winner becomes the No. 7 seed, while the loser hosts the winner of the 9-versus-10 game for the No. 8 seed. (espn.com) That means four first-round series are already locked before any play-in game tips off: Knicks versus Hawks and Cavaliers versus Raptors in the East, plus Lakers versus Rockets and Nuggets versus Timberwolves in the West. Detroit, Boston, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio are waiting on play-in winners. (nba.com) The regular season ended Sunday, April 12, and the calendar turns immediately. The play-in runs April 14 through April 17, and the first round of the playoffs begins Saturday, April 18. (nba.com) For Denver and the Lakers, Sunday settled home court in a crowded middle of the West bracket. Denver’s No. 3 seed lines up a first-round series with Minnesota, while the Lakers’ No. 4 seed sets a series against Houston. (espn.com) By Monday, April 13, only eight teams were still playing for the final four playoff spots. Everyone else had either clinched a best-of-seven series or been eliminated when the 82-game regular season ended. (nba.com)
