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2024 NBA Playoffs: Bracket, standings, latest playoff picture as playoffs near – USA TODAY
The NBA is nearing the end of the 2023-24 regular season, and while some teams have secured their playoff spots, others are still fighting for a chance to make the postseason.
The Boston Celtics are leading the Eastern Conference with a record of 59-16 and have already secured the regular season title. The Milwaukee Bucks are in second place, two games ahead of the Cavaliers. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in third place with a record of 45-30, while the New York Knicks are in fourth place with a record of 44-30.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder currently hold the top spot with a 52-22 record, while the Denver Nuggets are close behind with a 52-23 record. The Minnesota Timberwolves sit in third place and have a four-game lead over the fourth-placed Los Angeles Clippers.
Here’s how the playoff picture currently looks with just two weeks left to play in the regular season.
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Current after April 1 games. The top 6 teams in each conference automatically make the playoffs. Teams in positions 7-10 qualify for the play-in tournament.
Here’s how the first round of the playoffs would shake out in the East if the season ended after Monday.
Here’s how the matchups look with the current standings in the Western Conference.
The NBA Play-In Tournament, with its current system implemented for the 2021 playoffs, allowed each conference to expand its potential playoff field from eight teams to 10. The seventh- through 10th-ranked teams in each conference at the end of the regular season play in a four-day tournament to decide the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the first round of the playoffs.
In one set of games, the seventh-place team for each conference hosts the eighth-place finisher. The winners in each conference gets the No. 7 seed in their brackets.
In another set of games, the ninth-ranked team in each conference hosts the 10th-place team. The winners of those games play the losers of the seventh place vs. eighth place matchups to determine the No. 8 seed in their respective conferences.
This year, the play-in tournament begins April 16 and concludes April 19. The first round of the NBA playoffs begin April 20.
Here’s how things currently look for the play-in in the East:
Here’s how things currently look for the play-in in the West:
The first round of the NBA playoffs begins April 20. Depending on how quickly first-round matchups are decided, the conference semifinals begin either May 4-5 or May 6-7. The conference finals are scheduled to begin May 21-22 but could move to May 19-20 pending conference semifinal results.
The NBA Finals begin June 6.