Sports
NBA Playoff Picture 2023: Updated Standings, Predictions After Lakers Win vs. Magic – Bleacher Report
A roller coaster few weeks for the Lakers in the NBA standings continued Sunday night after Los Angeles came away with a 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic at Crypto.com Arena.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 35-37 on the year and found themselves back in the playoff picture as they slid into the 10th seed, which is the final play-in tournament spot. But with how jumbled the middle tier of the Western Conference is, it’s hard to tell exactly where they’ll end up.
There are sure to be plenty of more twists over the last 11 or so games, though.
Here are the updated standings and some insight on what to look forward to over the the home stretch of the regular season.
1. Milwaukee Bucks (51-20)
2. Philadelphia 76ers (48-22)
3. Boston Celtics (49-23)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (45-28)
5. New York Knicks (42-30)
6. Brooklyn Nets (39-32)
7. Miami Heat (39-34)
8. Atlanta Hawks (35-36)
9. Toronto Raptors (35-37)
10. Chicago Bulls (33-37)
11. Indiana Pacers (32-39)
12. Washington Wizards (32-39)
13. Orlando Magic (29-43)
14. Charlotte Hornets (22-50)
15. Detroits Pistons (16-56)
1. Denver Nuggets: (48-24)
2. Sacramento Kings: (43-27)
3. Memphis Grizzlies (43-27)
4. Phoenix Suns: (38-33)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (38-34)
6. Dallas Mavericks (36-35)
7. Golden State Warriors (36-36)
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-36)
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (35-37)
10. Los Angeles Lakers (35-37)
11. Utah Jazz (34-36)
12. New Orleans Pelicans (34-37)
13. Portland Trail Blazers (31-40)
14. San Antonio Spurs: (19-52)
15. Houston Rockets: (18-53)
Three teams have qualified for the playoffs in the Bucks, Celtics and Nuggets, all of whom have been the teams to beat in their respective conferences, though the Celtics have slipped a bit in recent weeks after a really strong start to the season.
Meanwhile, the Hornets, Pistons, Rockets and Spurs are all eliminated from playoff contention.
As previously stated, the most interesting storyline to watch over the final few weeks of the season is how the Nos. 4-12 seeds in the Western Conference are going to shake out, as there are just four games separating the four-seeded Suns from the 12th-seeded Pelicans.
An obvious factor that’ll play a huge role is health, as the Lakers are still awaiting the return of superstar LeBron James, who has missed the team’s last 11 games with a foot injury. Meanwhile, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards recently suffered an ankle injury and is in a walking boot.
The Mavericks are also hoping Luka Dončić returns to action soon after missing the last four games.