NBA Playoff Picture 2023: Updated Play-in Standings, Predictions after March 31st
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The Los Angeles Lakers are poised to take on a challenge to finish in the top six in the Western Conference playoffs.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and co. moved up to No. 7 in the West with an away win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
The Lakers have five games left to get out of the four-team play-in zone and earn an extra remainder in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Lakers only need to catch one of the Los Angeles Clippers or Golden State Warriors to make the top six. They are 1.5 games behind both teams.
The April 5 fight between the two Los Angeles teams could play a big role in determining the final automatic qualifier for the first round.
In the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls were the only team in the four play-in positions to win Friday night.
The Brooklyn Nets put a two-game lead over seventh-placed Miami Heat with a win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Toronto Raptors couldn’t gain ground in the matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Chicago is three games behind the Washington Wizards for 10th place, so all of the competition in the East will be more about seeding in the play-in round than which teams come on the field.
Eastern Conference rankings
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1.Milwaukee (55-22)
2.Boston (54-24)
3. Philly (51-26)
4. Cleveland (48-30)
5. New York (45-33)
6.Brooklyn (42-35)
Play-In Race
7. Miami (40-37)
8 Atlanta (38-39)
9.Toronto (38-39)
10.Chicago (37-40)
11 Washington (34-43)
12. Indiana (34-44)
13. Orlando (33-44)
Brooklyn and Chicago were the biggest winners in the Eastern Conference on Friday.
The Nets clinched their third win in four games against Atlanta. You’re in a slightly comfortable position to avoid the play-in round.
Brooklyn finishes the regular season with four out of five home games, and the only away game is with the Detroit Pistons. The Nets should be able to finish the No. 6 seed with a win record in that stretch.
Miami is the only Eastern Conference team in action Saturday as it hosts the desperate Dallas Mavericks.
A loss to the Mavericks could doom the Heat due to Brooklyn’s upcoming schedule in the play-in round.
Jimmy Butler and company should win at least three of the next five against Detroit, Washington and the Orlando Magic. They also face the 76ers who may still be fighting for the No. 2 spot.
Miami can’t afford to match Brooklyn’s end-of-season production, and that could see the No. 7 hitting its ceiling.
The Heat have a two-game lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Hawks for the number 7.
Atlanta visits Chicago Tuesday in a game that could turn around the play-in spots. The Hawks also host Dallas at the end of back-to-back games on Sunday.
The Bulls are not set for a win against Atlanta because they visit the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas before finishing the season at home against Detroit. Milwaukee may still play for the East No. 1 on Wednesday, which would hurt Chicago’s chances of winning.
Toronto has two away games each against Charlotte and Boston before completing the regular season with the Bucks at home. The Raptors could at best win 3-2 in this run, with Boston still chasing Milwaukee for the top seed.
Predictions for play-in positions: 7th Miami, 8th Atlanta, 9th Chicago, 10th Toronto.
Western Conference
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1. Denver (51-26)
2. Memphis (49-28)
3. Sacramento (47-30)
4. Phoenix (42-35)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (41-37)
6. Golden State (41-37)
Play-In Race
7.Los Angeles Lakers (39-38)
8. New Orleans (39-38)
9.Minnesota (39-39)
10. Oklahoma City (38-40)
11 Dallas (37-40)
12. Utah (36-41)
The Lakers have won the latest installment of As The West Turns.
James, Davis and Co. will put pressure on the Clippers and Warriors for the next eight days.
The Lakers have road games in Houston and Utah before returning home as a road team against the Clippers on April 5. Phoenix and Utah visit the Lakers to wrap up the season.
Darvin Ham’s team could win 4-1 in that stretch as the Clippers are still figuring out how to play without Paul George. The Clippers scored just 94 points in their loss to Memphis on Friday night.
The Clippers have a game fewer than the Lakers and could move closer to play-in spots with a loss in New Orleans on Saturday.
Kawhi Leonard and co. have four days off after Saturday, and there could be a scenario where they play to stay in the top six if the Lakers close the 1.5-game difference by Wednesday.
New Orleans needs wins as badly as the Lakers do right now. The Pelicans are playing their next four games at home, but they all face playoff contenders in the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks.
The Pelicans must first beat the Clippers before stepping into opportunities in the next two games, where Memphis and Sacramento could rest some starters since they’ve already snagged playoff spots. They could also take a break against New York if Julius Randle is out for two weeks.
Minnesota needs to stay within a game of New Orleans en route to next Sunday so it can potentially leapfrog the Pelicans in a neck-and-neck win. The game between Wolves and Pelicans could be the most significant game of the last day of the regular season.
The last play-in spot appears to be with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas. Utah is still in the picture, but they need to close a 1.5 game deficit on OKC.
OKC lost to the Indiana Pacers on Friday and hasn’t won a straight game in two weeks. The Thunder close with Phoenix, Golden State, Utah and Memphis. The Grizzlies may not play their starters on April 9th, so the Thunder could beat the Jazz and Grizzlies and win another contest to take 10th place.
Dallas is 1-5 in their last six games and there’s no guarantee they’ll beat Miami or Atlanta to complete this journey. The Mavs finish at home with the Kings, Bulls and Spurs. A 5-0 finish would be ideal for the Mavs, but that feels like asking a lot for a team headed in the wrong direction.
Play-in position projections: 7th Los Angeles Clippers, 8th New Orleans, 9th Minnesota, 10th Oklahoma City
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