Sports
NBA Playoff Picture 2024: Updated Standings After Celtics Clinch Home-Court Advantage – Bleacher Report
The Boston Celtics have clinched home-court advantage throughout the entire playoffs after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 135-100 on Wednesday evening.
Kristaps Porziņģis’ 27-point, 12-rebound, five-block outing paced the Celtics, who used a 42-17 fourth-quarter edge to run away from the Thunder. Jayson Tatum added 24 points.
Although home-court advantage has now been decided, there’s still plenty left to decipher in the playoff picture as the regular season winds down.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the updated standings alongside three races to watch with the playoffs rapidly approaching. All results are through Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 60-16 (clinched home-court advantage)
2. Milwaukee Bucks: 47-29
3. Cleveland Cavaliers: 46-30
4. Orlando Magic: 45-31
5. New York Knicks: 44-31
6. Miami Heat: 42-33
7. Indiana Pacers: 43-34
8. Philadelphia 76ers: 41-35
9. Chicago Bulls: 36-40 (play-in)
10. Atlanta Hawks: 36-40 (play-in)
11. Brooklyn Nets: 30-47 (eliminated)
12. Toronto Raptors: 23-53 (eliminated)
13. Charlotte Hornets: 18-58 (eliminated)
14. Washington Wizards: 15-62 (eliminated)
15. Detroit Pistons: 13-63 (eliminated)
The top six teams in each conference automatically make the playoffs. The seventh through 10th seeds in each conference take part in two play-in tournaments to determine the final two teams in the East and West playoff brackets.
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets: 53-23
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: 53-23
3. Oklahoma City Thunder: 52-24
4. Los Angeles Clippers: 47-28
5. Dallas Mavericks: 45-30
6. New Orleans Pelicans: 45-31
7. Sacramento Kings: 44-31
8. Phoenix Suns: 44-31
9. Los Angeles Lakers: 44-33
10. Golden State Warriors: 41-34
11. Houston Rockets: 38-37
12. Utah Jazz: 29-47 (eliminated)
13. Memphis Grizzlies: 25-50 (eliminated)
14. Portland Trail Blazers: 20-56 (eliminated)
15. San Antonio Spurs: 18-58 (eliminated)
Race for Eastern Conference Top 6 (Teams To Watch: 4th-8th Place)
The Orlando Magic are fourth but have a brutal finish (at Houston, at Milwaukee, at Philadelphia, home Milwaukee).
The reeling New York Knicks sit fifth but are losers of three straight. An odd schedule quirk has them playing the Chicago Bulls three times in 10 calendar days. The sixth-place Miami Heat have won three straight and enjoy a cushy finish with two home games versus the 53-loss Toronto Raptors.
The seventh-place Indiana Pacers have tough matchups versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. The eighth-place Philadelphia 76ers bring up the rear, but the return of Joel Embiid certainly helps.
Western Conference Home Court Advantage (Teams To Watch: 1st-3rd Place)
The Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves should make up the West’s top three. It’s anyone’s guess where they fall, though.
Denver has the schedule advantage, with four of the team’s final six games against squads with losing records. However, a road matchup against the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers and a home date with the T-Wolves are mixed in.
The Timberwolves get the short end of the schedule stick, with two dates against the now-healthy Phoenix Suns and visits to Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers. They should be heavy favorites, though, at home versus the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks.
OKC benefits by playing its final four games at home, but four of its final six games are against teams with winning records (Milwaukee, Dallas, Sacramento, Indiana).
Western Conference Top 6 (Teams To Watch: 5th-9th Place)
This is the biggest mess of them all, with the fifth-through-ninth place teams all sitting with 44 or 45 wins.
Dallas, hot on the heels of an 11-2 stretch, has a few very winnable games versus Detroit, Atlanta and Charlotte and should be considered top-six favorites here.
The New Orleans Pelicans are reeling as losers of four of five, and a four-game Western Conference road swing (three of which are against Phoenix, Sacramento and Golden State) looms before the season.
Phoenix has a brutal schedule in which literally every opponent down the stretch is a potential Western Conference postseason team. The shorthanded Kings, who are without Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter due to injury, close with a four-game road trip followed by three at home (two of which are against the Pelicans and Suns).
The Lakers bring up the rear with 33 losses among that group, and the most likely scenario sees them playing the Golden State Warriors in the 9/10 game.