NBA Playoff Picture: Everything at Stake With Two Weeks Remaining in Regular Season

The end of the NBA’s regular season is, somehow, upon us.

The final day of games will take place on Sunday, April 12, which means there are fewer than two weeks remaining in this professional basketball campaign.

On the one hand it’s always a disappointment to see another NBA year come to an end; there have been games to watch nearly every night since late October. On the other, the finale of regular-season play means it is finally time to watch playoff basketball. The best teams the league has to offer will go toe-to-toe over the course of two months to determine who will raise a championship banner. There will be no talks of tanking or complaints about the length of the 82-game season—there will only be basketball at the highest level.

It promises to be glorious. But there is much to figure out before the postseason begins. The standings in both the East and West are crowded in places. While at this point it’s clear which teams will qualify for postseason play and which will be headed on vacation immediately, there remains plenty in the balance of the final games of the year; every team has fewer than 10 contests remaining and the postseason bracket could change wildly based on the outcomes of those games.

As we hit the last few weeks of the season, let’s break down the playoff picture in both conferences and determine what is at stake.

Eastern Conference playoff picture

Jayson Tatum’s return makes the Celtics much more dangerous come playoff time. | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

Here’s what the East standings look like as of March 30 for teams still alive in the playoff race.

Seed	Team	Record	Games back
1	Detroit Pistons	54–20	---
2	Boston Celtics	50–24	4
3	New York Knicks	48–27	6 1/2
4	Cleveland Cavaliers	46–28	8
5	Toronto Raptors	42–32	12
6	Atlanta Hawks	42–33	12 1/2
---	PLAY-IN FIELD	---	---
7	Philadelphia 76ers	41–33	13
8	Orlando Magic	39–35	15
9	Miami Heat	39–36	15 1/2
10	Charlotte Hornets	39–36	15 1/2

What’s at stake

Pistons must lock up No. 1 seed

There isn’t much drama for the top seed in the East (as well as homecourt advantage up until the Finals). The Pistons have been at the top of the standings for the whole season and not even the loss of Cade Cunningham to a collapsed lung can slow Detroit’s roll, with the team posting a 5–1 record since news of their superstar’s ailment broke. Still, the Pistons have to finish the job by clinching the No. 1 seed and face a tough stretch of games to do so—their next five matchups will come against playoff teams of varying caliber.

Celtics, Knicks jostle for homecourt advantage in potential playoff rematch

Last year Boston met New York in the playoffs, a series that had wide-ranging implications for both sides. They are shaping up to do so again this season as the two teams have occupied the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the East for most of the season. Both are effectively guaranteed to make the playoffs already but the Celtics will be focused on holding off the Knicks over their last few games—whichever team finishes with the higher seed will have homecourt advantage in the second round should they both make it that far. Boston is on the verge of pulling away from New York on this front with a 2 1/2 game lead entering Monday night but must finish the job.

Raptors, Hawks, 76ers fight to stay out of play-in tournament

The most interesting part of the East playoff race can be found smack in the middle of the standings. Toronto, Atlanta and Philadelphia are separated by a total of 1 1/2 games with the season winding down. Two of those three teams will qualify for the postseason outright, but one will have to get through the play-in tournament. Avoiding that is paramount given none of the three teams listed are bulletproof contenders. In fact, they are all entirely capable of missing the postseason entirely by suffering two bad games in the play-in setting. Especially this particular play-in tournament which will include an unusually hot team in the Hornets—Charlotte has the second-best net rating in the NBA since the All-Star break. This represents the narrowest margin among the various races for playoff seeding and will have long-reaching consequences.

Western Conference playoff picture

The Spurs are running out of time to catch the Thunder for the top seed in the playoffs. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Here’s what the West standings look like as of March 30 for teams still alive in the playoff race.

Seed	Team	Record	Games back
1	Oklahoma City Thunder	59–16	---
2	San Antonio Spurs	56–18	2 1/2
3	Los Angeles Lakers	48–26	10 1/2
4	Denver Nuggets	48–28	11 1/2
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	45–29	13 1/2
6	Houston Rockets	45–29	13 1/2
---	PLAY-IN FIELD	---	---
7	Phoenix Suns	41–33	17 1/2
8	Los Angeles Clippers	39–36	20
9	Portland Trail Blazers	38–38	21 1/2
10	Golden State Warriors	36–39	23

What’s at stake

Thunder have to keep holding off Spurs

The Thunder are on the verge of finishing up yet another dominant season, but the Spurs have shockingly kept pace. Both teams have only lost two games since returning from the All-Star break as San Antonio does everything in its power to dissuade the notion the West is Oklahoma City’s territory. It’s hard to see the Thunder losing the 2 1/2 game lead they hold entering this week but that’s a narrow enough margin that OKC clinching the top seed isn’t a mere formality. The defending champs will have to earn home court throughout the playoffs.

Can Lakers stay hot, keep hold of No. 3 seed?

It’s been a great March for the Lakers as Luka Dončić made a loud case to be considered for this year’s MVP award, leading Los Angeles to 13 wins in 15 tries so far this month. It’s put the team in pole position to earn the third seed in the West, separating from the pack of talented yet flawed teams that litter the middle of the conference standings. The question is if they can hold on. Only three games separate the purple-and-gold from the Timberwolves and Rockets, while the Nuggets are hot on their tail only one game behind. Keeping the third seed is crucial, not only for home court purposes but also to avoid matching up with the Thunder in the playoff bracket for as long as possible.

Anthony Edwards’s potential return and ramp-up for the playoffs

The Timberwolves have been competitive since Edwards went down for a few weeks with a knee injury. But like most contenders, their championship hopes are dead unless the team’s superstar is at full strength. Minnesota has only eight games left on the schedule, which means Edwards will need to come back in short order if he wants a few regular season games to use as a ramp-up for the intensity of postseason play. Given he’s questionable for Monday’s contest against the Mavericks it seems likely the 24-year-old star will return on the sooner side, but his status will be monitored closely no matter when he comes back.

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