The NBA’s regular-season finale is here, and remarkably, just about everything is still up in the air.
Not a single first-round matchup is fully set entering Sunday’s games. Here’s a breakdown of where things stand.
Eastern Conference: Seeds Set, Matchups Not
The top four seeds are locked in:
- Detroit Pistons
- Boston Celtics
- New York Knicks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
After that, it gets messy.
The Hawks, Raptors, Magic and 76ers are all still battling for positioning, with two guaranteed playoff spots and two play-in spots up for grabs.
- Hawks (46-35): Win at Miami, and they’re the No. 5 seed.
- Raptors (45-36): Win vs. Brooklyn, and they’re in the playoffs. Could rise to No. 5 with help.
- Magic (45-36): Need win at Boston and help to avoid play-in.
- 76ers (44-37): Need a win vs. Milwaukee plus help to escape play-in.
If all four teams win, the current standings hold.
Meanwhile, the Hornets and Heat are locked into the 9-10 play-in game. Home-court advantage is still up for grabs.
Projected East Matchups (Entering Sunday)
- (1) Pistons vs. Play-In Winner
- (2) Celtics vs. Play-In Winner
- (3) Knicks vs. (6) Raptors
- (4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Hawks
Again, all subject to change.
Western Conference: Two Races To Watch
Out West, most of the bracket is set. But two key battles remain.
No. 3 vs. No. 4 Seed
- Nuggets (53-28) vs. Spurs
- Lakers (52-29) vs. Jazz
Denver clinches No. 3 with a win or Lakers loss.
L.A. moves up with a win and Nuggets loss.
No. 8 vs. No. 9 Seed
- Trail Blazers (41-40) vs. Kings
- Clippers (41-40) vs. Warriors
Portland clinches No. 8 with a win or Clippers loss.
Clippers need a win and Blazers loss.
Projected West Matchups (Entering Sunday)
- (1) Thunder vs. Play-In Winner
- (2) Spurs vs. Play-In Winner
- (3) Nuggets vs. (6) Timberwolves
- (4) Lakers vs. (5) Rockets
Current Play-In Matchups
East
- (7) Magic vs. (8) 76ers
- (9) Hornets vs. (10) Heat
West
- (7) Suns vs. (8) Blazers
- (9) Clippers vs. (10) Warriors
The Bottom Line
There’s no fancy way to say it. Everything comes down to Sunday.
Seeds five through eight in the East are still shifting. The Lakers and Nuggets are battling for positioning. The Clippers and Blazers are fighting for survival advantages.
And depending on how things break, the playoff bracket could look very different by the end of the night.
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