NBA Playoff Picture 2023: Updated Play-In Standings, Predictions After April 4
There are two different types of play-in races going on in the NBA.
The Western Conference has the chaotic battle where one result could shift a few spots from fifth to 12th depending on the team that won or lost.
There were a few minutes Tuesday when the front end of the play-in race could have been dealt drastic changes. The Los Angeles Lakers rallied in overtime to beat the Utah Jazz, and the Golden State Warriors came back from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to keep the standings as they were entering the night.
The Eastern Conference has two of its play-in participants set, and a third could soon follow in clinching a position. The order of the teams in eighth through 10th may not change over the next few days.
The Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat are involved in the most significant battle in the bottom half of the East playoff race. Miami moved within one game of the Nets after Brooklyn lost at home to Minnesota on Tuesday.
Positions could still change between Wednesday and the last day of the regular season on Sunday, and given how shaky some teams looked before they won on Tuesday, the potential for chaos is still there.
Eastern Conference
1 of 2
1. Milwaukee (57-22)
2. Boston (54-25)
3. Philadelphia (52-27)
4. Cleveland (50-30)
5. New York (46-33)
6. Brooklyn (43-36)
Play-In Positions
7. Miami (42-37)
8. Atlanta (40-39)
9. Toronto (40-39)
10. Chicago (38-41)
Brooklyn left the door open for Miami to sneak into the No. 6 seed with its home loss to Minnesota.
The Nets fell by five points despite a 30-point effort from Spencer Dinwiddie. They head to Detroit on Wednesday with a one-game lead over the Heat.
The gap gives the impression that the Nets and Heat will be locked in a tight battle for the next five days, but Brooklyn holds a clear advantage.
Brooklyn will be expected to win on Wednesday and then produce the same result against the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Miami needs the Nets to go 1-2 in order to jump them with a perfect finish. That seems unlikely given the Nets' next two opponents.
That should settle the Heat into the No. 7 seed, where they would need one home win over the No. 8 seed to qualify for the postseason.
The Atlanta Hawks took a big step in the No. 8 seed race with a road win over the Chicago Bulls without Trae Young on Tuesday.
The 123-105 victory gave the Hawks a clear path to visit to Miami next week. They need to match the Toronto Raptors' record for the rest of the regular season.
Toronto plays consecutive road games against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday and Friday. Those games are still meaningful to Boston since it is two games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 2 seed.
Atlanta could go just 1-2 against the Washington Wizards, Sixers and Celtics to retain the No. 8 seed. That makes Wednesday's game with the Wizards even more opponent.
Chicago seems stuck in the No. 10 seed after its loss to Atlanta. The Bulls are two games behind the Hawks and Raptors, and they do not have to worry about any challengers beneath them. Orlando's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers secured Chicago's play-in berth.
The Bulls are not expected to gain ground on Atlanta or Toronto since they visit the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks for their next two games.
Play-In Predictions: 7. Miami, 8. Atlanta, 9. Toronto, 10. Chicago
Western Conference
2 of 2
1. Denver (52-27)
2. Memphis (50-29)
3. Sacramento (48-31)
4. Phoenix (44-35)
5. Golden State (42-38)
6. Los Angeles Clippers (41-38)
Play-In Race
7. Los Angeles Lakers (41-38)
8. New Orleans (40-39)
9. Minnesota (40-40)
10. Oklahoma City (38-42)
11. Dallas (37-42)
12. Utah (36-43)
There were a few moments Tuesday night that made us think what kind of impact wins by Oklahoma City and Utah would have on the West standings.
The Warriors and Lakers fended off their respective opponents and kept the calm in the potentially chaotic West for another night.
Golden State remained in fifth place with a come-from-behind win over the Thunder in which Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole combined for 64 points. Poole started in place of Klay Thompson, who was a scratch because of lower back soreness.
The Warriors need to win in Sacramento and in Portland to finish in the top six. That's the simple math that keeps them away from the chaos.
LeBron James and the Lakers exerted more energy than they hoped against the Lauri Markkanen-less Jazz. James showed up in crunch time and pulled the Lakers to a victory to set up Wednesday's battle with the Los Angeles Clippers.
A Lakers win would put them above the play-in line and force the Clippers to chase them over the final two regular-season games.
The Lakers can beat a Phoenix Suns team chasing nothing on Friday and then defeat the Jazz on Sunday to lock up the No. 6 seed.
The Clippers have the freshness advantage over the Lakers since they last played Saturday. A win by Kawhi Leonard and Co. would set them up for the No. 6 seed since they close with Portland and Phoenix.
Phoenix can't catch Sacramento for the No. 4 seed and does not look like it will lose the No. 4 seed to Golden State, but it could use the last few games to get Kevin Durant back into a rhythm. That might be the motivation for the Suns, and if that is the plan, it would affect the play-in race.
Minnesota and the New Orleans Pelicans both appear to be safe from dropping out of the top 10. The Wolves' win over Brooklyn moved them two games ahead of OKC. The Sunday meeting between the Pelicans and Wolves in Minnesota could decide the No. 8 seed.
OKC, Dallas and Utah are all on three-game losing streaks. The Thunder can eliminate Utah on Thursday and they need a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday to stay ahead of Dallas.
One more OKC loss opens up Dallas' potential surge to the No. 10 seed. The Thunder own the tiebreaker after winning their season series.
Dallas must beat Sacramento on Wednesday to move level with the Thunder and stay within striking distance.
Play-In Projection: 7. L.A. Clippers, 8. Minnesota, 9. New Orleans, 10. Oklahoma City
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