As the NBA regular season winds down, the anticipation for the playoffs intensifies. With less than two weeks remaining before the postseason kicks off on April 16 with the Play-In Tournament, teams are jockeying for position and fighting for crucial playoff berths.
While 13 teams have already secured their spots in the playoffs, there’s still much to be decided in the closing games of the regular season, including seeding, home-court advantage, and the avoidance of the Play-In Tournament.
In the latest developments of the playoff picture, the Los Angeles Lakers secured a Play-In Tournament berth following Houston’s loss to Miami on Friday. However, the Golden State Warriors missed a pivotal opportunity to clinch their Play-In spot after a defeat to Dallas, which could have brought them within one loss of the No. 8 seed, especially considering Sacramento’s loss to Boston.
Meanwhile, Friday’s action also saw the Milwaukee Bucks suffer another disappointing loss, this time to the Raptors, who snapped a 15-game losing streak.
Playoff Race Tightens in Eastern Conference: Bucks Face Crucial Stretch
Milwaukee’s defeat has tightened the race in the Eastern Conference, as they now hold just a one-loss lead over the third-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and a two-loss lead over the fourth-seeded Orlando Magic and fifth-seeded New York Knicks with five games left to play.
Notably, the Bucks are slated to face the Knicks on Sunday and still have two matchups against Orlando on the horizon, setting the stage for a crucial stretch in determining playoff seeding and positioning.
As a refresher, the NBA’s Play-In Tournament is set to determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences. In each conference, four teams (the 7-10 seeds) will participate in the Play-In Tournament, while the top six seeds automatically secure playoff berths.
The teams finishing seventh and eighth will compete for the No. 7 seed, while the ninth and tenth teams will play each other. Subsequently, the loser of the No. 7/No. 8 game will face the winner of the No. 9/No. 10 matchup for the No. 8 seed.
Throughout the remainder of the season, this will serve as your comprehensive guide to the playoff picture. We’ll provide updates on current standings, tiebreaker scenarios, and magic numbers for both the play-in spots and top-six seeds, ensuring you’re up to date on all the key details.
