NBA Playoff Picture 2022: Reviewing Latest Bracket Scenarios for East, West
As the 2021-22 NBA regular season draws to a close, the races remain tight in both conferences. The Phoenix Suns clinched the league's best record this week, while the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat have also locked up playoff berths.
The rest of the field remains largely open, though. Only five teams have officially been eliminated from postseason contention, and the battle for play-in spots is getting intense.
Here, you'll find a look at the latest standings and the playoff picture in each conference with the start of the play-in tournament (April 12) quickly approaching.
NBA Standings
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Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat (47-27, clinched playoff berth)
2. Philadelphia 76ers (46-27)
3. Milwaukee Bucks (46-27)
4. Boston Celtics (46-28)
5. Chicago Bulls (42-31)
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-32)
7. Toronto Raptors (41-32)
8. Brooklyn Nets (38-35)
9. Charlotte Hornets (38-36)
10. Atlanta Hawks (37-37)
11. New York Knicks (32-42)
12. Washington Wizards (31-42)
13. Indiana Pacers (25-49, eliminated)
14. Detroit Pistons (20-54, eliminated)
15. Orlando Magic (20-54, eliminated)
Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns (60-14, clinched playoff berth)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (51-23)
3. Golden State Warriors (48-26)
4. Utah Jazz (45-29)
5. Dallas Mavericks (45-29)
6. Denver Nuggets (43-31)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (43-32)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (36-39)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (31-42)
10. Los Angeles Lakers (31-42)
11. San Antonio Spurs (29-44)
12. Portland Trail Blazers (27-46)
13. Sacramento Kings (26-48)
14. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-52)
15. Houston Rockets (19-55, eliminated)
*Standings and playoff positioning via NBA.com.
East Bracket Scenarios
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Current Play-In Tournament
Play-in Game 1: No. 8 Brooklyn Nets at No. 7 Toronto Raptors (winner would play No. 2 seed)
Play-in Game 2: No. 10 Atlanta Hawks at No. 9 Charlotte Hornets (loser eliminated)
Play-in Game 3: Game 2 winner at Game 1 loser (winner would play No. 1 seed)
The playoff race in the Eastern Conference is extremely tight at the bottom. The Cleveland Cavaliers are tied with the Toronto Raptors following Thursday's loss in Toronto, but they maintain ahead for now due to tiebreakers.
Cleveland could, however, fall into the play-in field, while Toronto stands a reasonable chance of moving up into the playoff field proper. The Chicago Bulls are the other team in the playoff field in real danger of having to face the play-in field.
f the regular season ended today, the Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets would be in the play-in tournament. Toronto has a viable shot at moving into the playoff field, though, having won six of its last 10 games.
Of these teams, the Nets are probably the most dangerous. Star point guard Kyrie Irving is set to play in home games following an amendment to New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is optimistic that Ben Simmons will soon return to the court.
"I think they're going to be cautious with it, but there’s an expectation around the Nets that Ben Simmons will play this year," Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium told The Pat McAfee Show.
The Chicago Bulls are also in danger of falling into the play-in field, but the top four teams in the East appear relatively safe.
West Bracket Scenarios
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Current Play-In Tournament
Play-in Game 1: No. 8 L.A. Clippers at No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves (winner would play No. 2 seed)
Play-in Game 2: No. 10 L.A. Lakers at No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans (loser eliminated)
Play-in Game 3: Game 2 winner at Game 1 loser (winner would play No. 1 seed)
The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to be among the NBA's contenders this season but have fallen almost completely by the wayside. The Russell Westbrook trade has been a bust, and while LeBron James has been fantastic as usual, the Lakers' chemistry has been lacking.
The New Orleans Pelicans' win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday dropped L.A. into the final play-in slot. A pivotal matchup between the Lakers and Pelicans now looms on Sunday.
"It's going to be a playoff-type of atmosphere for us because it's definitely a must-win, I believe, for our group," Westbrook said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
The Lakers are in very real danger of falling out of the play-in tournament and ceding their spot to the San Antonio Spurs.
If the season ended today, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Pelicans and the Lakers would be in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Of this group, only the Timberwolves have a fair shot at pushing into the playoff pool. Minnesota is coming off a win over the Dallas Mavericks and sits only a half game behind the Denver Nuggets.
The top five teams in the West appear relatively safe, and as previously mentioned, Phoenix has already locked up the top spot in the NBA.
