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For several NBA teams, there's so much to play for in the remaining regular-season games. Playoff spots and seeding are fluid in the final week leading up to the postseason.
In the Eastern Conference, the top two seeds have locks. The Toronto Raptors clinched home-court advantage, and the Boston Celtics have a hold on the No. 2 seed. The intrigue brews between the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers for the third slot. Will trusting the process lead to an impressive finish near the top of the conference?
Unlike the East, which has all eight postseason teams locked in, only three squads have clinched playoff spots in the Western Conference. Furthermore, we could see a regular-season finale that keeps one club's season alive and sends the other home for an extended vacation.
How will the final postseason brackets pan out?
NBA Playoff Picture Predictions
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 8 Washington Wizards (season series tied 2-2)
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers (Pacers lead season series 3-1)
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks (season series tied 2-2)
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Miami Heat (season series tied 2-2)
Western Conference
No. 1 Houston Rockets vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans (Rockets lead season series 3-1)
No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 5 San Antonio Spurs (Blazers lead season series 2-1)
No. 2 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves (Warriors lead season series 2-1)
No. 3 Utah Jazz vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder (Thunder lead season series 3-1)
Philadelphia 76ers Finish as No. 3 Seed in the East
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The Sixers have played well without center Joel Embiid, who's out with an orbital fracture. They hold the No. 3 seed with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks left on the schedule.
Depending on the Bucks' situation, the matchup between the two teams could provide an intense atmosphere. Milwaukee holds the No. 7 seed, which pairs with the Celtics, who are without their top two players in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Bucks interim head coach Joe Prunty may want to hold on to that spot.
Friday's 132-130 victory over Cleveland put Philadelphia in the driver's seat for the No. 3 seed:
They are riding a 13-game win streak and are looking toward a winnable matchup with the Miami Heat, Bucks or Washington Wizards in the first round and then one of those squads or the Celtics in the semifinals.
The Sixers should play to win out, lock up the No. 3 seed and a viable pathway to the conference finals.
Utah Jazz Move Ahead of Portland Trail Blazers for No. 3 Seed in the West
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Quin Snyder's team will finish the regular season on a back-to-back sequence with the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers.
The Warriors have a lock on the No. 2 seed, and head coach Steve Kerr says Stephen Curry won't play until after the first round of the postseason, per NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Monte Poole:
Golden State will play its last regular-season contest against the Jazz. Utah's following game against Portland could feel like a postseason matchup, with both squads in contention for the No. 3 spot:
Guard Damian Lillard returned to action against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, but the Blazers fell short in a 116-105 loss for their third consecutive defeat. As Portland crawls to the finish line, the Jazz have a legitimate opportunity to take the No. 3 slot if they win out.
Minnesota Timberwolves Beat Denver Nuggets for Playoff Spot
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In a deadlock for the eighth spot, we are heading toward a proverbial postseason play-in game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. Both teams boast identical 45-35 records.
The Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 100-96 without swingman Jimmy Butler in the lineup for Tom Thibodeau on Thursday at Pepsi Center. Nikola Jokic fell one assist short of a triple-double:
Butler worked his way back from a meniscal injury that required surgery. He returned to action for 23 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday at Staples Center. He will surely suit up for a high-stakes contest with Minnesota's playoff hopes on the line.
The Timberwolves topped the Nuggets in the December meetings with Butler. He will likely provide an edge in the final matchup for a playoff spot.
Both Minnesota and Denver hold tiebreakers over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Here's a wacky scenario that may play out. If the Pelicans lose to the Los Angeles Clippers or Spurs, the Jazz win one more game and the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio win out, the Timberwolves or Nuggets would claim the No. 7 seed by winning their last two contests.
What happened in the NBA playoff race on Saturday? Almost everything that needed to happen to make the last four days of the regular season bonkers, of course!
The L.A. Clippers were eliminated with a loss to the Denver Nuggets, though, meaning we now have six teams fighting for five playoff positions in the West. The Clippers had a helluva season given the massive roster shifts and injury issues the team faced. We have absolutely no concept of what they’ll look like when they come back in 2018-19.
The Nuggets’ win kept them tied with the Timberwolves for the No. 8 seed. Later on Saturday, the Thunder beat the Rockets on national TV behind an excellent Russell Westbrook two-way effort. The Spurs beat the Blazers, and the Pelicans beat the Warriors. (Worried yet, Golden State?)
Portland is in, and in fact the Blazers cannot fall below the No. 5 seed. But the Jazz still have a shot at the No. 3 seed, and in fact control their own destiny. How? Portland and Utah face off on Wednesday in the season finale. If the Jazz beat the Lakers and, uh, Warriors before then, the No. 3 seed will be on the line. Portland has the Nuggets on Monday. If the Jazz and Blazers both falter, the Spurs could actually slip into the No. 3 seed! So this could get messier still.
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The Pelicans, Spurs, and Thunder wins kept all three teams a game ahead of the Timberwolves and Nuggets. New Orleans, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City -- like Utah -- each need just one more win to guarantee a playoff spot after Saturday. The Pels face the Clippers and Spurs. The Spurs have the Kings and Pelicans. The Thunder have the Heat and Grizzlies.
If all three get in, that leaves just one spot for the Nuggets and Wolves ... who face off in the season finale on Wednesday. Before then, Minnesota faces Memphis and Denver faces Portland. Because of each team’s division and conference record, if Minnesota beats the Grizzlies on Monday and Denver loses to the Blazers, then the Nuggets cannot eliminate the Wolves on Wednesday! But they could still make the playoffs by beating the Wolves so long as the Pels or Thunder lose out. (This could also apply to the Spurs, but that goes like seven tiebreakers deep and my brain is already on the verge of hyperextension.)
Basically, Denver can’t be eliminated until Wednesday, but losing Monday would be rough.
All that said, here’s the current West playoff picture. Teams who have clinched their seed have asterisks.
Rockets (1)* vs. Timberwolves (8)
Jazz (4) vs. Pelicans (5)
Blazers (3) vs. Spurs (6)
Warriors (2)* vs. Thunder (7)
The only relevant East team that played Saturday was the Bucks, who throttled the Knicks. That keeps Milwaukee tied with Miami with 37 losses, one better than Washington. Here’s the current East playoff bracket with asterisks denoting guaranteed playoff seeds.
Raptors (1)* vs. Wizards (8)
Cavaliers (4) vs. Pacers (5)
Sixers (3) vs. Heat (6)
Celtics (2)* vs. Bucks (7)
Indiana and Philadelphia both play matinees against non-playoff teams on Sunday. The Pacers could still move up by winning out and getting some help. A Sixers win guarantees Philly no lower than No. 4.
The Jazz, who face the Lakers (6 p.m. ET, League Pass), are the only West team with something at stake in action. A win keeps their quest for No. 3 alive and guarantees them a playoff berth.
The end of the 2017-18 NBA regular season has become a sprint to the finish line.
Five Western Conference teams are fighting for four available playoff spots. The Eastern Conference playoff field is set, but the seedings have yet to be finalized after the Raptors and Celtics at the top. So, who makes the final cut?
Below are the latest NBA standings, along with odds, projections and everything else there is to know as the 2017-18 season nears its end.
When do the 2018 NBA playoffs start?
The regular season ends Wednesday with a full slate of 12 games, including key matchups with playoff implications like Nuggets vs. Timberwolves and Spurs vs. Pelicans. Playoff rosters must be set by Friday at 3 p.m. ET. The first round of the NBA playoffs begins the next day.
The conference semifinals series are scheduled for April 30/May 1 but could be moved up to April 28/April 29.
The conference finals series are scheduled for May 15/May 16 but could be moved up to May 13/May 14.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for May 31 with a Game 7 on June 17 if necessary.
NBA standings, seeding scenarios
Head here for an updated look at the playoff picture.
NBA playoff odds, predictions
Head here for updated postseason odds from AccuScore.
* Tonight on NBA TV: Warriors vs. Suns (9 ET)
Much was made of Steve Kerr's public chastising of his team after the "pathetic effort" displayed in Thursday's loss to the Indiana Pacers. Warriors star Kevin Durant disagreed just as publicly with Kerr's assessment and the rumblings surrounding the continued struggles (relatively speaking, of course) of the reigning NBA champions kept getting louder.
The mood is calmer today, even after a second straight loss Saturday night at home to a desperate New Orleans team that is still fighting for its playoff life heading into the final days of the regular season. Kerr's tone shifted dramatically, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN, with his team headed to Phoenix tonight (9 ET, NBA TV):
"We're going to be all right," Kerr said, as his team now has a 6-9 record since March 9. "Tonight, we [were] playing a team that desperately needs to win. You can tell the teams around the league that have to win, they're getting after it. They're playing for their season. And our season begins next week, and we know that. So I'm not disappointed with the effort. I always want to win. We always want to win. But I liked the fight, especially in the second half, and I think we can take something out of this game."
Kerr had said after the loss to the Pacers that "caring in general was the main problem." Warriors star Kevin Durant disagreed with that assessment, saying after that game, "I think everybody in this locker room cares about playing ball. I disagree with that, but I understand what he's doing."
Durant responded Saturday by scoring a game-high 41 points against the Pelicans, including 19 in the third quarter, but he had a costly turnover in the final minute that helped the Pelicans seal the win.
Speaking of the Warriors' sub.-500 record in recent weeks, Kerr said, "I'm not too worried about the record at this point, especially with all the injuries. These last couple weeks has been disjointed, lineup-wise, and from one night to the next, it has been different. I don't worry about that. We know the position we're in. We're in a good spot. We've just got to get a little better and start that fight from the beginning of the game and stay connected, and we're in good shape."
Warriors star Stephen Curry is sidelined with a knee injury and Kerr has said that he will miss the first round of the playoffs.
"I'm comfortable with our team," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "I know we're a damn good team. Excited to get started in the playoffs. That'll be good for us. But I'm comfortable with what we've got. I've got a lot of confidence in this group."
