5 Important Matchups That Will Impact the NBA Playoff Picture
There's just about a week remaining in NBA regular season.
The eight teams who will be playing in the Western Conference playoffs are locked in, but there's still room for teams to move around in terms of seeding. In the Eastern Conference, the final few spots are still up for grabs.
Heading into the final stretch of the season, here are five matchups that will have an impact on the playoff picture.
Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers
Friday, April 5: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
What's at stake: Home-court advantage in the first round
The Celtics and Pacers are basically locked into the fourth and fifth spots in the Eastern Conference, barring a catastrophic end to the season for the Philadelphia 76ers, who are 3.5 games ahead of both teams. With identical records as of Tuesday, the outcome of this game could have a significant impact.
Boston beat Indiana by just two points last Friday in a home game that saw Kyrie Irving score 30 points and Aron Baynes notch a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Pacers could use another strong performance from Bojan Bogdanovic, who dropped 27 points in that game.
Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Friday, April 5: 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Sunday, April 7: 9 p.m. ET on B/R Live
What's at stake: Playoff seeding
Just two games separate the Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Nuggets are currently the second seed while the Blazers are fourth.
But the NBA schedule gave us a gift for April: In the span of three nights, these two teams will face off twice. The first game is at Denver and the second in Portland. Two wins for the Blazers could help them steal the second seed, while two wins for the Nuggets could push them past Golden State for the West's top spot.
The Nuggets won both previous meetings with the Blazers this season, but the margin was by three points or fewer in each contest. Star guard Damian Lillard is on a roll lately for Portland. He is averaging 26.5 points, 8.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game over his last 10 contests. On the other side, Jamal Murray is posting per-game averages of 21.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds his last four games.
Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons
Sunday, April 7: 4 p.m. ET on B/R Live
What's at stake: The Hornets' playoff hopes
The Hornets are on life support. They're in 10th place and were riding a four-game losing skid heading into Wednesday's game in New Orleans. Still, they're just four games behind the Pistons, who are currently pegged as the sixth seed in the East. Everything in between is a big jumble. For both teams, every game is a must-win in the final stretch of the season. A slip for the Pistons could drop them to the eighth seed or out of the playoffs. The Hornets can't afford to stumble.
For Charlotte, the good news is that it's had good fortunes against Detroit this season.
The Hornets have won each of their three meetings this season by an average margin of 7.6 points, with All-Star guard Kemba Walker averaging 25.6 points. Walker dropped 47 points in a Monday loss to the Jazz. The Pistons have lost four of their last six games, proving that without Blake Griffin—who has been out since Saturday with a knee injury—winning is difficult.
Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, April 9: 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT
What's at stake: Playoff seeding
Both of these teams are locked into the playoffs, but there's still some wiggle room for each. A win in this game could help the Rockets climb a spot or two in the upper echelon of the West. James Harden's side is just 3.5 games behind first-place Golden State, 1.5 games behind second-place Denver and a half game ahead of Portland.
On the other end, Oklahoma City—currently in eighth place—has the same record as seventh-place San Antonio and are just two games behind the sixth-place Clippers. This game will also feature a battle between two MVP candidates: Harden and Paul George.
April 10: Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, April 10: 8 p.m. ET on B/R Live
What's at stake: A lot (as of now)
The Heat and the Nets are both currently positioned to take the last two playoff spots in the East, but neither have clinched a postseason berth.
This is the final-regular season game for both teams, and a lot could be on the line. If both teams play well down the stretch of the season, this could simply be a battle for playoff seeding. If both struggle, this could be a scrap for the final playoff spot. If Miami stumbles, this could be the final game of Dwyane Wade's career.
Miami has won three of its last five games, while Brooklyn has won one of its last four games. Brooklyn has been led by D'Angelo Russell, who is averaging 25.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists over his last 10 games.
