2024 NBA Playoffs: Bracket, standings and latest playoff picture ahead of final month
There's just one month left in the 2023-24 NBA regular season but only one team has clinched a playoff spot: the Boston Celtics. The other 19 playoff positions are still available down the final stretch of the regular season as teams jockey for position.
After the league-leading Celtics, the Eastern Conference is a tight group with just 6.5 games separating the current No. 2 and No. 8 seeds. Teams could go from the NBA Play-In Tournament to hosting a first-round series in a week or less.
The Western Conference is close from top to bottom. The current No. 1 and No. 10 seeds are separated by 12 games with a month of action to go before the Play-In Tournament kicks off on April 16th.
Here's the latest standings and what to know ahead of the postseason.
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NBA playoff standings
Current after March 13 games. The top 10 teams in each conference will make the playoffs with seeds 7-10 playing in the play-in tournament.
Eastern Conference
Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
1. | Boston Celtics | 52-14 | -- |
2. | 43-24 | 9.5 | |
3. | 42-24 | 10 | |
4. | 39-27 | 13 | |
5. | 39-28 | 13.5 | |
6. | 37-30 | 15.5 | |
7. | 36-30 | 16 | |
8. | 36-30 | 16 | |
9. | 32-35 | 20.5 | |
10. | 29-37 | 23 | |
11. | 26-40 | 26 | |
12. | 23-44 | 29.5 | |
13. | 17-50 | 35.5 | |
14. | 12-54 | 40 | |
15. | 11-55 | 41 |
Western Conference
Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
1. | 47-20 | -- | |
2. | 46-20 | 0.5 | |
3. | 45-21 | 1.5 | |
4. | 42-24 | 4.5 | |
5. | 40-26 | 6.5 | |
6. | 38-27 | 8 | |
7. | 39-28 | 8 | |
8. | 38-29 | 9 | |
9. | 36-31 | 11 | |
10. | 34-31 | 12 | |
11. | 31-35 | 15.5 | |
12. | 29-37 | 17.5 | |
13. | 23-44 | 24 | |
14. | 19-47 | 27.5 | |
15. | 14-53 | 33 |
NBA Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here's how the matchups look with the current standings in the Eastern Conference.
No. 1 seed Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
No. 2 seed Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 7 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
No. 3 seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers
No. 4 seed New York Knicks vs. No. 5 seed Orlando Magic
NBA Western Conference playoff bracket
Here's how the matchups look with the current standings in the Western Conference.
No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
No. 2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 7 seed (Winner of the Play-In Tournament)
No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 seed Sacramento Kings
No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 seed New Orleans Pelicans
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What is the NBA Play-In Tournament?
The NBA Play-In Tournament is a four-day tournament starting April 16 that offers more teams a chance at a playoff spot in each conference.
The format is simple. Using the final regular season standings, the No. 7 seed in each conference hosts the No. 8 seed. The winner of that game secures the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
The No. 9 seed in each conference hosts the No. 10 seed. The winner of that game will play the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup to determine who takes the final spot in their respective conference for the NBA playoffs.
Once the play-in tournament wraps up on April 19, the NBA playoffs will begin Saturday, April 20.
NBA Eastern Conference play-in tournament matchup
Here's how things currently look for the play-in in the East:
No. 7 seed Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Philadelphia 76ers
No. 9 seed Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks
NBA Western Conference play-in tournament matchup
Here's how things currently look for the play-in in the West:
No. 7 seed Phoenix Suns vs. No. 8 Dallas Mavericks
No. 9 seed Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors
When do the 2024 NBA Playoffs start?
The first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs will begin on April 20 and is expected to continue until the first weekend of May. The only other set date for the playoffs is the NBA Finals which is slated to begin Thursday, June 6. The second round and conference finals are subject to change based on how long the first round of the NBA playoffs takes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 NBA playoff picture: Bracket, standings and play-in updates
