NBA Playoff Bracket 2023: Round-by-Round Guide to the Postseason
The final minutes of the NBA regular season were played Sunday, and the playoff picture is almost completely crystallized, with the play-in tournament as the only thing standing in the way of the complete 16-team field.
There is no shortage of exciting storylines and matchups that will write the final chapter of the 2023 season.
Early-season contenders like the Heat and the LeBron James-led Lakers find themselves fighting for their lives in the play-in and will be dangerous lurkers to the top of their respective conferences if they are able to crash the party.
Meanwhile, the top six seeds in each conference are filled with perennial contenders, like the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, while also boosting some young, hungry teams, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies.
Here is a round-by-round primer for the postseason.
The Play-in Tournament
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There are a couple of sleeping giants in the play-in with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers—both seventh seeds—looking to make some noise in the postseason.
Aside from the Dallas Mavericks, there has perhaps been no team more disappointing than the Heat, who just weren't able to find any sort of consistency as they ended the season 44-38 after coming up just shy of a Finals appearance last year.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have managed an incredible second-half turnaround to end the year above .500 and pushed for a top-six seed before ultimately falling short. With a healthy duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, there may be no better pair in the playoffs.
The play-in tournament is set to begin Tuesday, with the Heat hosting the Atlanta Hawks before the Lakers welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to town.
Wednesday's game will feature the resurgent Chicago Bulls versus Toronto Raptors and the Oklahoma City Thunder facing off against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The losers of the 7/8 matchup in each conference will play the winner of the 9/10 matchup later in the week.
First Round
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The postseason officially begins on April 15.
While the top two seeds in each conference—Denver and Memphis in the West, Milwaukee and Boston in the East—will have to await the results of the play-in tournament to know their opponents, there are still plenty of exciting matchups to talk about.
Perhaps the most intriguing one of the entire first round comes in the West, with the Phoenix Suns taking on the Los Angeles Clippers. Even with the absence of Paul George, there is no shortage of star talent in this series.
The Suns, who are 8-0 when the trio of Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Devin Booker play together, are hoping that a small sample size will translate to the postseason.
They'll have their hands full, however, as they take on Kawhi Leonard and Co. Leonard has been on an absolute tear over the last half of the season and will be looking for yet another tremendous playoff run.
Golden State vs. Sacramento is another fascinating series as the defending champs take on a team that is in the postseason for the first time since 2006.
Over in the East, the most exciting pairing is between two sleepers in the Knicks and the Cavs, who have been among the most thrilling teams in the league. Either squad has the talent and the ability to pull off a deep run.
Jalen Brunson versus Donovan Mitchell may be one of the best individual matchups of the entire round.
Lastly, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers will take on Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets, who managed to stay in the playoff race despite trading Kyrie Irving and Durant early in the year.
Second Round and Beyond
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Obviously, the schedule of the second round hasn't been set yet, but the oddsmakers have a decent idea of who can make a deep run at the title.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Milwaukee Bucks have the best odds to win the whole thing at +240, and with good reason. They were the best team in the NBA for much of the second half of the year and finished with the league's best record at 58-24.
It must be a bitter-sweet feeling for whichever earns the No. 8 seed in the play-in tournament because while they'll make the playoffs, they'll also have to face Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Boston Celtics are the next favorites at +350, followed by the Suns at +480.
Boston looked like the class of the league to start the season but had a bit of a slip after the All-Star break. They're clearly still one of the most dangerous teams in the postseason with the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Phoenix, as previously mentioned, has the best trio in the NBA and will be a tough matchup against anybody.
If Milwaukee and Phoenix make it to the Finals, it'll be a rematch of the championship series in 2021 when the Bucks won in six games. The big difference this time is that the Suns have Durant.
Odds, lines and betting splits refresh periodically and are subject to change. 21+ and present in AZ, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA (permitted parishes only), MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, KS, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY.
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