2024 NBA regular season coming down to the wire
The GIST: The NBA regular season comes to a close on Sunday, but the playoffs are far from set. While 20 teams have clinched a postseason spot, only three teams have locked in their seeds, meaning we’re in for a wild weekend of hoops.
How the postseason works: The top six teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences advance to the official first round, but the seventh through 10th seeded squads will face off in the dreaded Play-In Tournament for the final two berths in each conference.
- In terms of the Play-In, the No. 7 seeds face the No. 8 seeds while the No. 9 seeds take on the No. 10 seeds.
- The winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup clinches the No. 7 playoff spot, but the loser has another chance — they’ll face the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 contest. The victor of that final matchup snags the eighth and final postseason berth. Fun, right?
Eastern Conference (EC): With the league-leading Boston Celtics sitting pretty in the No.1 spot, the fight is for spots two through eight. The current No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks may have a tough job holding onto that coveted position, as former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (pronounced YAH-niss ah-det-oh-KOON-boh) will miss the rest of the regular season after suffering an injury on Tuesday night, a tough break as the sneaky NY Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers press on.
- And with 2023 MVP Joel Embiid back from injury, the Philadelphia 76ers are making a late push to avoid the Play-In, unlike the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, who clinched their respective No. 9 and No. 10 spots last night.
Western Conference (WC): The reigning champ Denver Nuggets currently lead the WC, but the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder have been hot all season and could technically snatch the No. 1 seed away this weekend. It’s too close to call.
- Meanwhile, the No. 4 LA Clippers and No. 5 Dallas Mavericks could swap seeds, but they’re guaranteed to yet again face off in the first round.
- As for the WC Play-In, the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and LA Lakers are locked in, but two teams — the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns — are neck and neck, both vying for that elusive No. 6 seed. Watch this space.
