NBA standings, playoff picture: Current postseason bracket, matchups as Bucks’ lead over Knicks shrinks to one

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The NBA playoffs are almost here. With less than three weeks left in the regular season, the postseason is set to begin April 16 with the Play-In Tournament. The playoffs get started April 20. While it seems likely we know most of the teams that are going to qualify for the postseason, there is plenty to be decided in the regular season’s closing weeks. Seeding, home-court advantage and the chance to avoid the Play-In Tournament are all on the line between now and April 14.

So what’s the latest in the NBA’s playoff picture? The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, and now the Bucks’ lead over the Knicks for the East’s No. 2 seed has shrunk to one game in the loss column. Milwaukee and New York still have one head-to-head contest remaining on April 7, but Milwaukee has already clinched the tiebreaker. 

As a reminder, the NBA’s Play-In Tournament will determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences. Four teams in each conference (the 7-10 seeds) will enter the Play-In Tournament, while the top six seeds will automatically qualify for playoff spots. The seventh- and eighth-placed teams will face each other for the No. 7 seed. The ninth- and 10th-placed teams will face each other in another game, and then the loser of the No. 7/No. 8 game will face the winner of the No. 9/No. 10 game for the No. 8 seed.

For the remainder of the season, this will be your one-stop shop playoff picture. We’ve got you covered on everything from the current standings to tiebreaker scenarios and magic numbers for both play-in spots and top-six seeds. 

Here’s where we stand entering play on Friday, March 29.

Playoff bracket if the season ended today…

West
(1) Nuggets vs. (8) Suns/Kings/Lakers/Warriors
(2) Timberwolves vs. (7) Suns/Kings
(3) Thunder vs. (6) Mavericks
(4) Clippers vs. (5) Pelicans

East
(1) Celtics vs. (8) Heat/76ers/Bulls/Hawks
(2) Bucks vs….

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-standings-playoff-picture-current-postseason-bracket-matchups-as-bucks-lead-over-knicks-shrinks-to-one/

Author : Brad Botkin

Publish date : 2024-03-29 13:10:07

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