NBA Playoff Picture 2020: Standings, Top Storylines Entering Season's Final Week

The seeding round of the 2019-20 NBA season's restart is down to its final days.

The seeding portion completes on Friday, and what we can only assume will be an epic play-in tournament will follow over the weekend. After that, it's postseason action on Monday and a furious race to the finish line.

With little time to catch our breath ahead of Wednesday's four-game slate, let's review the latest standings and examine some of the top storylines around the Association.

Latest NBA Standings

Eastern Conference

1. z-Milwaukee Bucks (56-16)

2. y-Toronto Raptors (51-19)

3. x-Boston Celtics (48-23)

4. y-Miami Heat (44-27)

5. x-Indiana Pacers (43-28)

6. x-Philadelphia 76ers (42-29)

7. x-Brooklyn Nets (35-36)

8. x-Orlando Magic (32-40)

9. e-Washington Wizards (24-47)

Western Conference

1. z-Los Angeles Lakers (52-18)

2. x-Los Angeles Clippers (47-23)

3. y-Denver Nuggets (46-25)

4. y-Houston Rockets (44-26)

5. x-Oklahoma City Thunder (43-27)

6. x-Utah Jazz (43-28)

7. x-Dallas Mavericks (43-31)

8. Portland Trail Blazers (34-39)

9. Memphis Grizzlies (33-39)

10. Phoenix Suns (33-39)

11. San Antonio Spurs (32-38)

12. e-New Orleans Pelicans (30-41)

13. e-Sacramento Kings (30-41)

*z-clinched conference

*y-clinched division

*x-clinched playoff berth

*e-eliminated from playoffs

Top Storylines

Race for No. 8 (and No. 9)

For the first time since Jan. 4, Portland owns the No. 8 seed. It's a tenuous ownership, of course, with Memphis, Phoenix and San Antonio all just a half-game back, but the Blazers can finally see the finish line.

With a win over Brooklyn on Thursday, Portland would secure the No. 8 seed and gain a big advantage for the play-in series, needing just one win in two tries to advance.

The Blazers can thank Damian Lillard for that. The five-time All-Star has gone supernova on the opposition, following Sunday's 51-point outburst by tying his career-best with 61 points on Tuesday. And Portland needed every last one of them to fend off Dallas by a 134-131 count.

"Nobody wanted to come into this bubble and make the playoffs more than Dame," Blazers coach Terry Stotts told reporters. "And we've got one more game to go, but his leadership—obviously, his game speaks for itself—but he's bringing the team along with him."

Elsewhere, the Suns kept the bubble's only undefeated record intact with a 130-117 triumph over the 76ers. The Spurs are 5-2 since arriving at Disney. And the Grizzlies, reeling from the loss of Jaren Jackson Jr. to a meniscus tear, can still be a problem with Rookie of the Year favorite Ja Morant on the floor (26 points and 13 assists in Tuesday's loss to the Celtics).

If they can't swipe the No. 8 seed away from Portland, they'll fight tooth and nail to get the No. 9 spot and gain entry into the play-in tournament, where they'd need consecutive wins to advance.

There is no easy-out in this group, which makes the weekend's action all the more compelling.

Bubble Breakouts

Identities have changed inside the bubble, and while that's been evident in a few teams, it's even more apparent among the players.

Did casual fans know T.J. Warren's name before he entered Orlando? They surely do now, after the scoring forward opened the seeding round with a 53-point outburst and delivered at least 32 points in three of his next four outings.

Are we done with the questions about whether Devin Booker can impact winning for the Suns? We certainly should be. He's been the best player on the bubble's best team, pairing an efficient 26.6 points a night (on 48.8/35.9/91.9 shooting) with 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

Were we sure Michael Porter Jr. could capitalize on his star potential if given the opportunity? We definitely hoped he would, but he might have surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. He entered the bubble with two 20-point outings over his first 49 games. He has scored at least 23 points in four of his last five contests—and shot a perfect 6-of-6 in the other—and had 11-plus rebounds in those games, too.

For all of Lillard's heroics, the Blazers aren't flying this high without Gary Trent Jr. sharpshooting his way into major minutes. The Suns don't have the bubble's third-best defense without Mikal Bridges blanketing scorers of all sizes. The Spurs' future doesn't look as bright without Keldon Johnson appearing like an overlooked building block.

As eager as we all were to see the league's established stars again, it's been equally (if not more so) enjoyable to see players changing their perception in a way that could prove permanent.

Sixers' Last Stand?

So much was riding on Philadelphia's postseason performance.

In February, ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported that if the 76ers couldn't make it past the second round, "the job statuses of coach Brett Brown and general manager Elton Brand will come into question—and the possibility of trading either Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid will gain traction."

This past week, an executive told Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor they believe the Sixers "will need to choose" between Simmons and Embiid if the team bows out early.

Well, Simmons' season is likely over due to knee surgery, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, which probably closes the door on Philly's championship hope and opens some soul-searching debates for the franchise. Have the expectations changed with the loss of Simmons? Or should the stakes be as high as previously reported?

On the one hand, it's tough to evaluate anything on a team that's missing one of its two All-Stars; on the other, this group hadn't really resembled a contender all season—it sits 12th in winning percentage and net efficiency rating—and the roster reads like pieces from several different puzzles.

Maybe the Sixers give themselves a mulligan and skirt the major adjustments that have been discussed for months. Or perhaps this sends them into the kind of self-assessment that ends with radical change and even a roster rebuilt around Simmons or Embiid—but not both.

Even if the Sixers have been forced out of the championship race, they'll be fascinating to watch given the potential long-term ramifications.