The 2024 NBA playoff bracket is set. Fifteen different postseason seeds were decided Sunday as the NBA regular season wrapped up with a busy afternoon of basketball. The Oklahoma City Thunder were among the big winners of the day, capturing the West’s No. 1 seed and home-court advantage through the conference finals. The Phoenix Suns notched an important win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, crucially moving up to No. 6 in the West and avoiding the Play-In Tournament. In the East, the Knicks jumped up to the No. 2 seed with an overtime win against the Bulls.
The Bucks entered the day as the No. 2 seed in the East, but they were blown out by the Magic in Orlando. The Cavaliers also had a chance to get the No. 2 seed, but they removed most of the regulars down the stretch in a 10-point loss to the Hornets. The Magic, Pacers, 76ers and Heat were all winners on the afternoon, which kept the East’s 5-8 seeds in the same order they were when the day began. The 76ers and Heat are heading to the Play-In Tournament, and the winner of Wednesday’s showdown will move onto the first round to face the Knicks.
In the late slate on Sunday afternoon, the Lakers took down the Pelicans in New Orleans to keep the No. 8 seed. Those two teams will meet again Tuesday in the Play-In Tournament, as the Pelicans’ loss dropped them below the Suns. The Kings will host the Warriors in the other West Play-In game in a rematch of a first-round playoff series from last year.
As a reminder, the NBA’s Play-In Tournament will determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences. Four teams in each conference (the 7-10 seeds) will enter the Play-In Tournament this week, while the top six seeds will automatically qualified for playoff spots. The seventh- and eighth-placed teams will face each other for the No. 7 seed. The ninth- and 10th-placed teams will face each other in another game, and then the loser of the No. 7/No. 8 game will face the winner of the No. 9/No. 10 game for the No. 8 seed.
Here’s a look at the playoff bracket with all the seeds set. You can see the full playoff schedule here.
2024 NBA playoff bracket
West
(1) Thunder vs. (8) Pelicans/Lakers/Kings/Warriors
(2) Nuggets vs. (7) Pelicans/Lakers
(3) Timberwolves vs. (6) Suns
(4) Clippers vs. (5) Mavericks
East
(1) Celtics vs. (8) 76ers/Heat/Bulls/Hawks
(2) Knicks vs. (7) 76ers/Heat
(3) Bucks vs. (6) Pacers
(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Magic
Final Eastern Conference standings
- Boston Celtics – 64-18
- New York Knicks – 50-32
- Milwaukee Bucks – 49-33
- Cleveland Cavaliers – 48-34
- Orlando Magic – 47-35
- Indiana Pacers – 47-35
- Philadelphia 76ers – 47-35
- Miami Heat – 46-36
- Chicago Bulls – 39-43
- Atlanta Hawks – 36-46
Final Western Conference standings
- Oklahoma City Thunder – 57-25
- Denver Nuggets – 57-25
- Minnesota Timberwolves – 56-26
- Los Angeles Clippers – 51-31
- Dallas Mavericks – 50-32
- Phoenix Suns – 49-33
- New Orleans Pelicans – 49-33
- Los Angeles Lakers – 47-35
- Sacramento Kings – 46-36
- Golden State Warriors – 46-36
Play-In Tournament schedule
(All times Eastern)
Tuesday, April 16
No. 7 Pelicans vs. No. 8 Lakers, 7:30 p.m., TNT
No. 9 Kings vs. No. 10 Warriors, 10 p.m., TNT
Wednesday, April 17
No. 7 76ers vs. No. 8 Heat, 7 p.m., ESPN/fubo
No. 9 Bulls vs. No. 10 Hawks, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Friday, April 19
East No. 7/8 vs. East No. 9/10, Time TBD, ESPN/fubo
West No. 7/8 vs. West No. 9/10, Time TBD, TNT
2024 NBA playoffs schedule: First round
Saturday, April 20
Game 1: Knicks vs. East No. 7, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Magic, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Nuggets vs. West No. 7, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Timberwolves vs. Suns, Time/TV TBD
Sunday, April 21
Game 1: Celtics vs. East No. 8, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Bucks vs. Pacers, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Thunder vs. West No. 8, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Clippers vs. Mavericks, Time/TV TBD
