The 2023-24 NBA regular season has come to a close, and we now know the six playoff teams in each conference and the four teams competing in the play-in competition for the final two seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers have 6 playoff spots in the East.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns will play in the first round in the West.
In the East play-in, the Philadelphia 76ers will face the Miami Heat, and the Chicago Bulls will face the Atlanta Hawks. West will see the Los Angeles Lakers take on the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings take on the Golden State Warriors.
The play-in tournament will take place Tuesday-Friday, and the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs will begin on Saturday.
The Thunder won the 3rd battle for the West's No. 1 seed
Matches were finalized on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. Combined with the Timberwolves' loss to the Suns, the Thunder beat the Mavericks 135-86 to win a three-way race for the No. 1 seed in the West. The Nuggets finished 2nd with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
With the win over Minnesota, Phoenix moved up to No. 6 and the final guaranteed playoff spot in the West. The Pelicans enter Sunday as the No. 6 seed, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the East, the Knicks overtook the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 2 seed with an overtime win over the Bulls. The Bucks fell to No. 3 with the loss to the fifth-ranked Magic. The Pacers eliminated the Hawks, clinching the conference's final guaranteed playoff spot, pushing the 76ers and Heat into the playoffs.
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics
2. New York Knicks
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers
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7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Miami Heat
9. Chicago Bulls
10. Atlanta Hawks
Play-in schedule
Wednesday, April 17
No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. no. 8 at Miami Heat, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 at Atlanta Hawks, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Friday 19th April
76ers-Heat Loser vs. Bulls-Hawks Winner, Time TBD (ESPN)
First round matches
No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 seed (second stage play-in winner)
No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 seed (76ers-heat winner)
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Phoenix Suns
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7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Los Angeles Lakers
9. Sacramento Kings
10. Golden State Warriors
Play-in schedule
Tuesday, April 16
No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)
Friday 19th April
Pelicans-Lakers Loser vs. Kings-Warriors Winner, Time TBD (DNT)
First round matches
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 seed (winner of second stage play-in)
No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 seed (Pelicans-Lakers winner)
No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
2024 NBA Finals Schedule
Thursday, June 6: Game 1
Sunday, June 9: Game 2
Wednesday, June 12: Game 3
Friday, June 14: Game 4
Monday, June 17: Game 5 (if necessary)
Thursday, June 20: Game 6 (if needed)
Sunday, June 23: Game 7 (if needed)
