After 1,230 games, here’s where things stand: 12 teams are in the playoffs, 10 teams are done and eight teams are about to fight for the final four postseason spots.
The NBA’s play-in tournament starts Tuesday with the Western Conference games. The eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers visit seventh-seeded New Orleans, and 10th-seeded Golden State plays an elimination game at ninth-seeded Sacramento.
The Lakers-Pelicans winner is the No. 7 seed and takes on Denver in Round 1; the Lakers-Pelicans loser will play host to the Warriors-Kings winner on Friday to decide who is the No. 8 seed and takes on Oklahoma City. The Warriors-Kings loser is eliminated.
The East play-in games are Wednesday. Eighth-seeded Miami visits seventh-seeded Philadelphia, and 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks play at the Chicago Bulls. The Heat-76ers winner will face No. 2 New York; the other play-in survivor from the East will meet No. 1 Boston.
National TV schedule
Tuesday
- Lakers at Pelicans, 6.30 p.m. (TNT)
- Warriors at Kings, 9 p.m. TNT
Wednesday
- Heat at 76ers, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
- Hawks at Bulls, 8.30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday
- East play-in game, TBD (ESPN)
- West play-in game, TBD (TNT)
Who’s in — and who’s out
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Boston vs. Friday East play-in game winner, series starting Sunday
- No. 2 New York vs. Miami or Philadelphia, series starting Saturday
- No. 3 Milwaukee vs. No. 6 Indiana, series starting Sunday
- No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 Orlando, series starting Saturday
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. Friday West play-in game winner, series starting Sunday
- No. 2 Denver vs. Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans, series starting Saturday
- No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Phoenix, series starting Saturday
- No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas, series starting Sunday
Brooklyn, Toronto, Charlotte, Washington, Detroit, Houston, Utah, Memphis, Portland and San Antonio all saw their seasons end Sunday.
Betting guide
Boston has home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs and currently is the heavy favorite to win the championship, according to BetMGM. The Celtics are listed at +175, well ahead of defending champion Denver (+320). Next up: the Clippers (+1200), followed by Milwaukee (+1300) and both Oklahoma City and Dallas (each +1600).
Stat of the day
The NBA season-high for points in a game by a team this season was 157. It happened twice — both times by Indiana, and in both cases, the opponent was Atlanta.
The Pacers finished the regular season with 10,110 points. That’s fourth most in a regular season in NBA history. The others: Denver scored 10,371 in 1981-82, the Nuggets scored 10,147 in 1983-84 and Philadelphia scored 10,143 in 1966-67.
Matchups
Eastern Conference
No. 8 Miami Heat (46-36) at No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers (47-35)
- Season series: Split, 2-2
- Play-in appearances: 2nd for Miami (2023), 1st for Philadelphia
- At stake: Winner plays New York in Game 1 on Saturday; loser plays elimination game Friday
Outlook: The teams met on Christmas in Miami (Heat won 119-113) and three times since, though it should be noted that Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Miami’s Jimmy Butler each played in only one of the four games between the clubs this season. … When Kyle Lowry plays, his teams are 3-0 in the series this season — 2-0 with him in a Philly uniform, 1-0 when was in a Miami uniform.
No. 10 Atlanta Hawks (36-46) at No. 9 Chicago Bulls (39-43)
- Season series: Bulls, 2-1
- Play-in appearances: 3rd for Atlanta (2022, 2023); 2nd for Bulks (2023)
- At stake: Winner plays elimination game Friday; loser is eliminated
Outlook: The Hawks are bidding to be the first team to win four play-in games. They’re 3-0 in their past appearances in the tournament. … DeMar DeRozan averaged 28.3 points for the Bulls in the season series. … Bogdan Bogdanovic averaged 23.3 points for Atlanta, on 46% shooting from 3-point range vs. the Bulls. … Trae Young appeared in two games in the series and the Bulls held him to 29% shooting.
Western conference
No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers (47-35) at No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans (49-33)
- Season series: Lakers, 3-1
- Play-in appearances: 3rd for Lakers (2021, 2023); 3rd for New Orleans (2022, 2023)
- At stake: Winner plays Denver in Game 1 on Sunday; loser plays elimination game Friday
Outlook: A rematch of Sunday’s regular-season finale for both clubs, one where the Lakers ensured a 49-win season wasn’t enough to guarantee the Pelicans a playoff berth. … The four highest-scoring players in the season series were all Lakers (LeBron James 28.3, Anthony Davis 21.5, Austin Reaves 21.0, D’Angelo Russell 21.0). … Zion Williamson shot 58% vs. the Lakers in the four games.
No. 10 Golden State Warriors (46-36) at No. 9 Sacramento Kings (46-36)
- Season series: Split, 2-2
- Play-in appearances: 2nd for Golden State (2021), 1st for Sacramento
- At stake: Winner plays elimination game Friday; loser is eliminated
Outlook: The series was incredibly close — both of Sacramento’s wins were by exactly one point, and Golden State’s two wins vs. the Kings were by one and eight points. … De’Aaron Fox averaged 32.3 points in the series for the Kings and Domantas Sabonis nearly averaged a triple-double (17.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 9.5 assists). … Stephen Curry averaged 31 points in the series for the Warriors. … The Kings got to the foul line 113 times to Golden State’s 82 in the four games.
Quote of the day
“Indiana has had our number all year, right? So, perfect opponent. Listen, we’ve got to play somebody and they’re tough. They played great against us. They probably have great confidence against us.” — Bucks coach Doc Rivers, after learning his team will face Indiana in Round 1. The Pacers went 4-1 against the Bucks this season; the rare fifth game in the season series was part of the scheduling quirks created by the In-Season Tournament.
