We are now in the heart-pounding final two weeks of the NBA season, with teams fiercely battling for those precious postseason spots. The intensity of the playoff race is palpable, with every remaining game a potential game-changer, holding the power to either make or break their chances for a shot at the NBA title.
Several teams have already secured their spots in the playoffs, but the race for the top spots is far from over. The Oklahoma City Thunder have claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but the battle for the No. 2 spot is a neck-and-neck race between the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets, with the Los Angeles Lakers hot on their heels in the No. 4 position.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks all have claimed a playoff spot.
The top six teams from each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, but the real drama unfolds with the No. 7 seed through No. 10 seed. These teams will engage in a nail-biting play-in tournament, where every game is a battle for a chance to enter the NBA Playoffs.
When is the NBA Play-In Tournament?
The Play-In Tournament will begin on April 15 and end on April 18, where seeds 7 through 10 will play in a tournament-like format for a chance to move on to the NBA Playoffs.
In the first games of the Play-In Tournament, the No. 7 seeds will host the No. 8 seeds. The winner of this game will secure a spot as the No. 7 seed in their respective conference, while the team that loses will have one more opportunity to compete.
In the second games of the Play-In Tournament, the No. 9 seeds will host the No. 10 seeds, with the winning team moving to the final game, and the team that loses will be eliminated and enter the NBA draft lottery.
In the final games of the Play-In Tournament, the teams that lost the first matchup will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed games. The winners of these games will advance to the NBA Playoffs as the No. 8 seed, while the losing team will be eliminated and enter the NBA draft lottery.
Playoff picture: Who has clinched a spot?
The top six teams in each conference will earn a playoff spot. The winners of the Play-In Tournament will move on to the first round of the playoffs, which begins on Saturday, April 19.
Here are the teams that have clinched a playoff spot:
Western Conference:
Oklahoma City Thunder, clinched No. 1 seed in the Western Conference
Houston Rockets, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Denver Nuggets, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Los Angeles Lakers, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Memphis Grizzles, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Golden State Warriors, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Minnesota Timberwolves, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
LA Clippers, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers, clinched at least a playoff spot
Boston Celtics, clinched at least a playoff spot
New York Knicks, clinched at least a playoff spot
Milwaukee Bucks, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Indiana Pacers, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Detroit Pistons, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
Orlando Magic, clinched at least a Play-In tournament spot
NBA playoff bracket: Match-ups for current standings
Standings as of April 1:
Western Conference
No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 seed via Play In Tournament
No. 2 seed Boston Celtics vs. 7 seed Play In Tournament
No. 3 seed New York Knicks vs. 6 seed Milwaukee Bucks
No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers vs. 5 seed Detroit Pistons
Eastern Conference:
No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 seed via Play In Tournament
No. 2 seed Houston Rockets vs. 7 seed Play In Tournament
No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets vs. 6 seed Golden State Warriors
No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5 seed Memphis Grizzlies
NBA standings
Here are the NBA standings as of the afternoon of Tuesday, April 1.
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: 60-15 (D)
2. Boston Celtics: 55-19 (D)
3. New York Knicks: 47-27
4. Indiana Pacers: 43-31
5. Detroit Pistons: 42-33
6. Milwaukee Bucks: 40-34
7. Atlanta Hawks: 36-38
8. Orlando Magic: 36-39
9. Chicago Bulls: 33-41
10. Miami Heat: 33-41
11. Toronto Raptors: 28-47
12. Brooklyn Nets: 24-51 (e)
13. Philadelphia 76ers: 23-52 (e)
14. Charlotte Hornets: 18-56 (e)
15. Washington Wizards: 16-58 (e)
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder: 62-12 *
2. Houston Rockets: 49-26
3. Denver Nuggets: 47-28
4. Los Angeles Lakers: 45-29
5. Memphis Grizzlies: 44-30
6. Golden State Warriors: 43-31
7. Minnesota Timberwolves: 43-32
8. Los Angeles Clippers: 42-32
9. Dallas Mavericks: 37-38
10. Sacramento Kings: 36-38
11. Phoenix Suns: 35-40
12. Portland Trail Blazers: 32-43
13. San Antonio Spurs: 31-43
14. New Orleans Pelicans: 21-54 (e)
15. Utah Jazz: 16-59 (e)
* Clinched conference; (e) – eliminated; (D) clinched division