2024 NBA playoffs bracket: Postseason picture with matchups set for first round, Play-In Tournament

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Kim O’Reilly, CBS Sports

The 2024 NBA playoff bracket is set. Fifteen different postseason seeds were decided Sunday as the NBA regular season wrapped up with a busy afternoon of basketball. The Oklahoma City Thunder were among the big winners of the day, capturing the West’s No. 1 seed and home-court advantage through the conference finals. The Phoenix Suns notched an important win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, crucially moving up to No. 6 in the West and avoiding the Play-In Tournament. In the East, the Knicks jumped up to the No. 2 seed with an overtime win against the Bulls.

The Bucks entered the day as the No. 2 seed in the East, but they were blown out by the Magic in Orlando. The Cavaliers also had a chance to get the No. 2 seed, but they removed most of the regulars down the stretch in a 10-point loss to the Hornets. The Magic, Pacers, 76ers and Heat were all winners on the afternoon, which kept the East’s 5-8 seeds in the same order they were when the day began. The 76ers and Heat are heading to the Play-In Tournament, and the winner of Wednesday’s showdown will move onto the first round to face the Knicks.

In the late slate on Sunday afternoon, the Lakers took down the Pelicans in New Orleans to keep the No. 8 seed. Those two teams will meet again Tuesday in the Play-In Tournament, as the Pelicans’ loss dropped them below the Suns. The Kings will host the Warriors in the other West Play-In game in a rematch of a first-round playoff series from last year.

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 this week, while the top six seeds will automatically qualified 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…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2024-nba-playoffs-bracket-postseason-picture-with-matchups-set-for-first-round-play-in-tournament/

Author : Brad Botkin

Publish date : 2024-04-14 21:58:29

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