NBA Playoff Standings 2018: Latest Records, Postseason Scenarios and Predictions
For one night only, single-elimination basketball is coming to the NBA.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are the only teams who haven't either secured a spot in or been eliminated from the 2018 NBA playoffs. And as fate would have it, they close their campaigns against each other in a winner-take-all contest Wednesday night.
Even though the other 15 postseason berths have been claimed, little has been cemented in terms of seedings and matchups. After running through the latest standings, we'll spotlight three notable races and scenarios then predict how they'll play out.
NBA Standings
Eastern Conference
1. z-Toronto Raptors: 59-22
2. x-Boston Celtics: 54-26
3. x-Philadelphia 76ers: 50-30
4. y-Cleveland Cavaliers: 50-31
5. x-Indiana Pacers: 48-33
6. x-Milwaukee Bucks: 44-37
7. x-Miami Heat: 43-38
8. x-Washington Wizards: 42-38
9. e-Detroit Pistons: 38-43
10. e-Charlotte Hornets: 35-46
11. e-New York Knicks: 28-53
12. e-Brooklyn Nets: 28-53
13. e-Chicago Bulls: 27-54
14. e-Atlanta Hawks: 24-57
15. e-Orlando Magic: 24-57
Western Conference
1. z-Houston Rockets: 64-16
2. y-Golden State Warriors: 58-23
3. x-Portland Trail Blazers: 48-33
4. x-Utah Jazz: 47-33
5. x-New Orleans Pelicans: 47-34
6. x-San Antonio Spurs: 47-34
7. x-Oklahoma City Thunder: 47-34
8. Minnesota Timberwolves: 46-35
9. Denver Nuggets: 46-35
10. e-Los Angeles Clippers: 42-39
11. e-Los Angeles Lakers: 34-46
12. e-Sacramento Kings: 26-55
13. e-Dallas Mavericks: 24-57
14. e-Memphis Grizzlies: 22-59
15. e-Phoenix Suns: 20-61
*z-clinched conference; y-clinched division; x-clinched playoff berth; e-eliminated from playoff contention
Postseason Scenarios and Predictions
East's No. 3 Seed
The goalposts keep moving for the Philadelphia 76ers—in a good way.
They have to find new objectives every time they cross one off the list. A playoff target became hopes of having home-court advantage. Then, getting to 50 wins was a focus. Now, they're feeling greedy after clearing that hurdle with two games left on their schedule.
"We want to get 52 wins," Sixers coach Brett Brown said, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We want to hold that third spot. That's what I most want to do."
Philadelphia controls its own destiny. That became the case when it endured a 44-point, 11-assist, 11-rebound masterpiece by LeBron James and still squeaked out a 132-130 victory Friday night. That pushed the Sixers a half-game up for the three seed, meaning it's theirs to have if they can close their campaign with wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.
Cleveland's path to No. 3—and a potential second-round matchup with the wounded Boston Celtics—involves getting some kind of assistance. If the Cavs, who close with the New York Knicks on Wednesday, finish tied with Sixers, Cleveland would jump to third for winning the Central division while Philly took third in the Atlantic.
Prediction: Philly wins out, takes No. 3 seed
East's Nos. 6, 7 and 8 Seeds
This might be the most interesting race because the teams involved might not actually prefer the top spot.
Finish eighth, and you're getting the Toronto Raptors, the East's best team by record and efficiency. Finish sixth, and you're either getting the searing-hot 76ers (winners of 14 straight) or playoff LeBron (undefeated in 12 previous trips to the opening round).
Take seventh, though, and the opponent is a wobbly Celtics squad that has dropped three of its last four outings. Two of their three highest-paid players are done for the year: Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Vulnerable seems like a kind way of describing Boston.
But let's pretend No. 6 is still the target. How can each team get there?
Milwaukee would take it by winning in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Remember, though, the Sixers will be fighting for the No. 3 seed in that game.
If the Bucks lose, the Heat only need to beat a Toronto team with nothing at stake. Miami owns the tiebreaker over Milwaukee by winning the season series, and it has a leg up on Washington with a better record in the Southeast division.
Washington needs the most help here. The Wizards not only need to win out against the Celtics and Orlando Magic, they also need both the Bucks and Heat to lose their finales.
Prediction: Miami climbs to sixth, Milwaukee takes seventh, Wizards finish eighth
West's Final Spot
One more win equals a playoff berth for either Denver or Minnesota. Hooray for simple math!
The Nuggets, who will be on the road Wednesday, are coming in hot. They've kept their playoff hopes alive with six consecutive wins, and this offensive powerhouse (most efficient since the All-Star break) has even held two of its last three opponents under 100 points.
"I felt like we played like our lives were on the line," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after Monday's 88-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, per Gina Mizell of the Denver Post. "It wasn't pretty, but I thought our defense was phenomenal."
The Nuggets might need another defensive gem Wednesday.
The Timberwolves have scored 113 points in each of their two games since Jimmy Butler's return, winning the contests by a combined 36 points. Their defense can bleed uncontrollably (23rd in efficiency), and their bench plays less than anyone's, but they're still a handful when they're complete. Minnesota has a plus-10.3 net rating with Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins on the floor together.
Minnesota and Denver can see a lot of itself in the other. Both have top-six offenses and bottom-10 defenses and benches. Each has six double-digit scorers and super-skilled, offensive-minded centers underneath.
This contest should be close, but it's hard to wager against the 'Wolves. They have the only two All-Stars in this tilt, and they'll be playing in front of their home fans.
Prediction: Minnesota gets in, Denver goes fishing.
Statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
