NBA playoff watch: With postseason teams set, seeding battles begin
When the Milwaukee Bucks were officially eliminated Saturday afternoon, the NBA had its 20 teams in the playoffs. However, there is still much to be decided in the playoff races, with seeding battles heating up in both conferences.
The Boston Celtics hit the road to face the Charlotte Hornets, who lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night to fall into a tie for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the NBA’s longest active drought.
The Hornets are currently a half-game behind the eighth-ranked Orlando Magic, who travel north of the border to face the Toronto Raptors. Scottie Barnes & Co. is tied with the Atlanta Hawks for fifth in the East, but just two games ahead of the Magic.
The highlight game of the evening will see the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder host the New York Knicks, who will look to close the gap between them and the Celtics. Meanwhile, OKC, which has the second-toughest remaining schedule in the league according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, saw its lead over the San Antonio Spurs reduced to just two games – with San Antonio holding the tiebreaker.
Here’s a look at the current and projected NBA playoff picture, the most important games remaining in the regular season and how the race for the No. 1 pick is shaping up in June’s draft:
Access a section:
Current playoff matches
Program of the day | Friday scores
Decisive scenarios | Critical remaining games
Projected Ranking | Race for the No. 1 pick
Current NBA playoff games
Eastern Conference Playoffs
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Play-in winner to be determined
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Play-in winner to be determined
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference play-in
7. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Orlando Magic
9. Miami Heat vs. 10. Charlotte Hornets
Loser 7/8 versus Winner 9/10
Western Conference Playoffs
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner to be determined
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in winner to be determined
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 6. Houston Rockets
4. Denver Nuggets vs. 5. Minnesota Timberwolves
Western Conference Play-in
7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. LA Clippers
9. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 10. Golden State Warriors
Loser 7/8 versus Winner 9/10
Sunday matches
Clippers at Bucks, 3:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Heat at Pacers, 5 p.m. ET
Kings at Nets, 6 p.m. ET
Celtics at Hornets, 6 p.m. ET
Magic at the Raptors, 6 p.m. ET
Wizards at Trail Blazers, 6 p.m. ET
Rockets at Pelicans, 7 p.m. ET
Knicks at Thunder, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Warriors at Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET (NBC)
Saturday’s scores
Spurs 127, dollars 95
Pistons 109, Timberwolves 87
76ers 118, Hornets 114
Falcons 123, Kings 113
Grizzlies 125, Bulls 124
Suns 134, Jazz 109
The most important remaining games
Decisive scenarios
The Boston Celtics will clinch a playoff spot with a win or loss by the Toronto Raptors or a win by the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks will clinch a playoff spot with a win.
The Golden State Warriors will be stuck in the play-in tournament with a loss or a Houston Rockets victory.
The Portland Trail Blazers will be locked into the play-in tournament with a loss or a Houston Rockets win.
End of season forecast ranking
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first four picks. The 14 teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs are eligible to advance to the top four. Once the order of the first four picks is established via the drawing, the remainder of the first round is established in reverse order of the teams’ regular season records. The three worst-scoring teams each have an equal 14% chance of winning the lottery, with non-playoff teams’ chances decreasing from there.
Among projected lottery teams, several trades could impact picks. The Atlanta Hawks will take precedence over the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks picks, with the lesser of the two picks going to Milwaukee. If the Indiana Pacers pick is between five and nine, it will go to the LA Clippers. The Utah Jazz will send their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder if they don’t make the top eight.
The Portland Trail Blazers will send their pick to the Chicago Bulls if it is not part of the lottery (if they make the playoffs via the play-in tournament). The Washington Wizards’ pick is protected in the top eight, and the likelihood of their selection finishing ninth or worse is extremely low.
