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The NBA playoffs are almost here. With less than two 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 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 Warriors can breathe a little easier as they extended their lead on the No. 10 seed and final Play-in spot to two games by virtue of their win over the Spurs and Houston’s loss to the Mavericks on Sunday.
At the top of the West, the Thunder moved back into the No. 1 spot, while Minnesota dopped to No. 3 after a tough loss to Chicago. Denver now occupies the West’s No. 2 seed, while the Suns are just one game up on the Lakers for the No. 8 seed, which comes with the big-time benefit of only having to win one of two Play-In games to earn a playoff spot as opposed to two straight as the No. 9 or 10 seed.
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…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-standings-playoff-picture-bracket-matchups-tiebreakers-as-warriors-strengthen-grip-on-no-10-seed/
Author : Brad Botkin
Publish date : 2024-04-01 13:18:16
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