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•Subscribe to NBA League Pass NOW•Overview of the NBA Playoff Scenario
With only 18 days and 143 games left in the regular season, the stakes are high.
While some games may not carry significant weight, many are crucial. A total of 21 teams are vying for playoff positions, with the Portland Trail Blazers holding a faint hope for ninth or tenth place in the Western Conference.
As of Wednesday, 14 teams—six from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference—hold winning records, each boasting a minimum of eight games above .500. Below, you’ll find insights on their performance against one another, their schedules over the final 18 days, and one key game each team should keep an eye on.
Note: A rest-advantage game is when one team has played the previous day, whereas the other team has not.
Are the Cavaliers poised for a lengthy playoff journey, or do their recent four-game losing streak raise concerns?
The Eastern Conference features two main title contenders, and fans are anticipating a potential matchup between the Cavaliers and Celtics in the conference finals. However, teams ranked third through sixth also have the capability to create disruptions …
Records & efficiency, matchups among the top six teams in the East
NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions Rem. = Remaining games within the top six.
Current status: Given that they’d possess a lesser conference record, the Cavaliers likely need to end the season with more wins than the Celtics to secure the No. 1 seed in the East. Their magic number—combining Cleveland wins and Boston losses—sits at six.
Schedule insight: The Cavaliers’ defense is on the rise, but they’ll face challenges down the stretch with five games against top-10 offensive teams, and not one against those ranked in the bottom 10.
Key matchup: April 10 at Indiana – Among the five games against top-10 offenses are two against the sixth-ranked Knicks, but an intriguing battle could be against the Pacers. Indiana may be the Cavaliers’ most probable opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals and boasts an offense that can be difficult to defend. The crucial question is whether the Cavaliers will have something significant at stake in Game 80.
Current status: In overall league standings, the Celtics are securely positioned, unlikely to overtake the Cavaliers or allow the Knicks to close in.
Schedule insight: The Celtics face the easiest remaining schedule (with a cumulative opponent winning percentage of .421) compared to the other 14 teams with winning records, with only two of their nine upcoming games against the teams ranked above them.
Key matchup: March 31 at Memphis – Although a more immediate game might be their visit to New York on April 8, the Celtics may be out of contention by then. The Memphis matchup on Monday presents a chance for revenge following a December loss, where the Celtics allowed 42 transition points, as noted by Synergy stats.
Current status: The Knicks have achieved a 5-5 record during Jalen Brunson’s absence and still need to solidify their position for the East’s No. 3 seed.
Schedule insight: They’re among six teams that still have three back-to-backs on their schedule, with both clashes against the Cavaliers being the second in back-to-back games.
Key matchup: April 2 at Cleveland – The Knicks are notoriously 0-7 against the league’s top three teams (OKC, Cleveland, and Boston), allowing an astonishing 127.9 points per 100 possessions in those contests. They have three remaining games with the Cavaliers (twice) and Celtics, and the last two games (both at home) fall within the season’s final week. They’ll carry a rest disadvantage when they meet the Cavaliers next Wednesday after playing at home the night before, but it may be a chance to truly test themselves against a fully-armed contender.
Current status: The Pacers maintain a two-game lead over both Detroit and Milwaukee for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, holding the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Pistons (who have the toughest schedule among the three) but not over the Bucks.
Schedule insight: After facing the Wizards and Thunder this week, the Pacers will host six of their last eight games at home, where they previously enjoyed an eight-game winning streak before a buzzer-beater loss on Wednesday.
Key matchup: March 29 at Oklahoma City – Only two games against the top six in the East remain for the Pacers, both against the Cavaliers in the season’s closing week. Their next major challenge is Saturday against Oklahoma City, pitting an elite offense against the league’s top defense. The Pacers led the initial meeting mostly until the Thunder took control in the waning minutes.
Current status: With the Bucks falling to Denver on Wednesday, the Pistons ascended to fifth place, but maintaining that position could be challenging because …
Schedule insight: The Pistons face the most daunting remaining schedule (cumulative opponent winning percentage of .598) among the 14 winning teams, with seven of their last nine games against top-tier opponents. Their next three include matchups with Cleveland, followed by a game at Minnesota, and then a meeting with Oklahoma City.
Key matchups: April 11 vs. Milwaukee, April 13 at Milwaukee – Presently, the Pistons’ most significant games are the final two of the season against the Bucks in a home-and-home series. They have suffered losses in 27 of their last 28 games against Milwaukee, including 11 straight, and have allowed 121.4 points per 100 possessions in their two battles this season.
Current status: After slipping to sixth in the East on Wednesday, the Bucks have lost seven of their last 11 games and are currently without Damian Lillard for an indefinite period.
Schedule insight: Following their game against the Knicks on Friday, the Bucks will compete in five successive matches against underperforming teams. They hold a record of 29-13 against teams below .500, though they’ve recently fallen short against the Magic and Suns.
Key matchup: March 28 vs. New York – This Friday game could provide a glimpse of a first-round playoff encounter, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo expected to return after missing the Bucks’ loss in Denver due to a foot issue. The Bucks have allowed 132 points per 100 possessions to the Knicks (their worst defensive figure against any opponent) and have lost their first two meetings this season.
Candace Parker engaged in a conversation with Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about his growth and ambition to excel.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder stand out… while the rest trail behind. The disparity in the loss column between the Thunder and the second-place Houston Rockets is a striking 14 games—mirroring the gap between the Rockets and the 13th-place San Antonio Spurs.
A clear distinction exists between the eighth-ranked Timberwolves and the ninth-place Kings, yet any team in the No. 2-8 range believes they can reach the Western Conference Finals.
Records & efficiency, matchups among the top 8 teams in the West
NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions Rem. = Remaining games within the top eight.
Current status: The Thunder have secured the top seed in the West and lead the Cavaliers by two games in the overall standings, granting them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Schedule insight: Six of their next seven contests will take place at home, including all four remaining games against teams within the top eight of the West.
Key matchups: April 6 and April 8 vs. the Lakers – The Thunder haven’t squared off against the Lakers since November, and L.A. has made significant improvements, defensively and offensively, adding Luka Dončić, who eliminated Oklahoma City in the 2024 playoffs. They’ll contest a two-game series in Oklahoma City during Games 78 and 79.
Current status: The Rockets have positioned themselves at the peak of the “everyone else” tier, winning 10 of their last 11 games. However, they only lead the fifth-placed Grizzlies by a couple of games in the loss column.
Schedule insight: Tied with Portland and Utah for the most road-focused remaining schedule, the Rockets will face six teams on the road in their next nine games.
Key matchup: March 31 at Lakers – Every victory in this recent stretch has come against teams currently below .500, and the Rockets are set to face Utah and Phoenix next, both of whom are in that category. Yet, six of their last seven games will be against top-eight Western teams, two of which take place at Crypto.com Arena, with the first occurring on Monday while the Rockets experience a rest disadvantage.
Current status: Following a 2-3 record during Nikola Jokić’s absence, the Nuggets welcomed back the reigning Kia MVP on Wednesday, triumphing over the Bucks to maintain third in the West. They find themselves tied in the loss column with the Lakers and Grizzlies, who are directly behind them.
Schedule insight: The Nuggets are the only team with just eight games left in the season and will enjoy a rest advantage in two of their four remaining games against top-tier teams in the West.
Key matchup: April 1 vs. Minnesota – Since Game 6 of the 2024 Western Conference semifinals, the Nuggets have dropped five straight against the Wolves, who may be their first-round playoff adversaries. With Jokić’s return, Tuesday’s final meeting of the season is a critical chance to align offensively against a team that has stifled their performance to just one point per possession in the last five encounters.
Current status: The Lakers ended a three-game losing streak and secured their position in the upper tier of the West with a buzzer-beater victory over the Pacers, courtesy of LeBron James on Wednesday.
Schedule insight: When evaluating opponent strength, location, and rest, the Lakers face the league’s second-toughest remaining schedule. Out of their 10 remaining games, four are against teams below .500, but three of those involve road contests against competitive teams like the Bulls, Mavs, and Blazers. The Lakers will face a rest disadvantage in two of those matchups, including Thursday against the Bulls.
Key matchup: March 29 at Memphis – Remaining within the top four is essential for the Lakers, who have the widest disparity in home-road winning percentages (28-9 vs. 16-19) and have lost their last seven road playoff games. Their pivotal game in that context is this Saturday in Memphis, where the home squad has taken all three earlier matchups between these two 44-28 teams in the West. With a significantly better conference record, the Lakers will maintain the tie-breaker no matter this weekend’s result.
Current status: The Grizzlies have shifted to fifth place, holding an 8-11 record over the last six weeks and remain closer to second place (2.5 games behind the Rockets) than to sixth (three games ahead of the Clippers).
Schedule insight: The Grizzlies are one of four teams—alongside the Pistons, Suns, and Spurs—that have the league-high of seven remaining games against teams currently commanding winning records. Five of those seven come against top Western teams.
Key matchup: April 11 at Denver – The Grizzlies have one remaining game against the two teams (the Nuggets and Lakers) they are tied with in the loss column. As mentioned earlier, tomorrow’s game against the Lakers is critical, and the final weekend of the season could bring further changes. However, Game 81 in Denver, one of two remaining matches where Memphis faces a rest disadvantage, could carry significant implications.
Current status: The Clippers have shown substantial offensive growth since the All-Star break, securing nine victories in their last 11 contests to enter the top six in the West. They currently lead the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Warriors (3-0) but trail the Wolves (0-3).
Schedule insight: The Clippers are among six teams with three back-to-backs remaining on their schedule, kicking off a streak of five games in seven days with a visit to Cleveland this Sunday. While Kawhi Leonard has logged over 40 minutes in the past two games, he hasn’t participated in both contests of any back-to-back this season.
Key matchup: April 9 vs. Houston – The last of these three back-to-backs features home games against the Spurs and Rockets in the final week of the season. The Clippers are 0-3 against Houston, with all three previous encounters occurring in 2024 before Leonard’s return. Both teams should have goals at stake in Game 80.
Current status: The Warriors have a record of 16-4 with Jimmy Butler but are currently 0-2 on their current six-game road trip. They do not have a secured playoff berth in the West and are tied with the Clippers (who currently hold the head-to-head tie-breaker).
Schedule insight: The Warriors are one of two teams—alongside the Rockets—that have completed their games against the opposing conference. All ten of their final games will be against Western Conference opponents, five of which are among the top eight.
Key matchup: April 13 vs. the Clippers – The Warriors face the team with whom they are currently tied at the end of the season. They have struggled offensively, scoring only 97 points per 100 possessions (the worst rate against any opponent) in their first three matchups, all of which occurred in 2024 before acquiring Butler.
Current situation: The Timberwolves hold the eighth spot but are just a game behind the Clippers for sixth. They possess the fourth-best point differential in the West and are one of four teams ranked in the top 10 on both offense and defense.
Schedule insight: The Timberwolves have the easiest remaining schedule (cumulative opponent winning percentage of .444) in the Western Conference, with four of their last nine games against the league’s bottom seven teams.
Key matchup: April 10 at Memphis – While the Nuggets would like to finally best Minnesota, the Wolves likely wish to turn their luck against the Grizzlies. They have suffered narrow losses in both tilts with Memphis, totaling just 13 points on 21 clutch possessions. The matchup will serve as Game 80 for the Wolves and the final segment of a five-game road trip starting in Denver on Tuesday.
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John Schuhmann serves as a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can reach him via email **here**, explore his archives **here**, and follow him on X.
The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily represent those of the NBA, its teams, or Warner Bros. Discovery.
