NBA playoff seeding scenarios headed into last day of regular season
The NBA playoff scenarios are not infinite headed into the final day of the regular season Sunday.
But the permutations for seeding in the Western Conference playoffs are numerous as all 30 teams conclude an 82-game schedule with a jam-packed 15-game slate.
The Eastern Conference seeds are set 1-10 while the West still remains a jumble of possibilities. The Minnesota Timberwolves could finish with the fourth seed … or the eighth seed.
In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the No. 1 seed, the Houston Rockets are the No. 2 seed, and the Los Angeles Lakers are the No. 3 seed. And the Sacramento Kings will play the Dallas Mavericks in the 9-vs.-10 play-in game though which team is ninth and which is 10th won’t be known until after the Kings (vs. Phoenix) and Mavs (vs. Memphis) play Sunday.
In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers earned the No. 1 seed, followed by the Boston Celtics at No. 2, New York Knicks at No. 3, Indiana Pacers at No. 4, Milwaukee Bucks at No. 5 and Detroit Pistons at No. 6. Indiana will play Milwaukee, and New York will play Detroit in a first-round series.
No. 7 Orlando Magic will play No. 8 Atlanta Hawks in a play-in game with the winner earning the seventh seed and a matchup against Boston in the first round. The winner of No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Miami Heat will play the loser of Orlando-Atlanta for the No. 8 seed and first-round series against Cleveland.
Here’s what we don’t know:
Seeds 4-8 are underdetermined in the West. The Denver Nuggets (49-32), Los Angeles Clippers (49-32), Golden State Warriors (48-33) and Minnesota (48-33) are a game within each other, and the Warriors, Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies (47-34) are a game within each other.
Keep in mind – Houston has nothing to gain or lose in its game against Denver.
Western Conference playoff seeding possibilities
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets will earn the No. 4 seed with a victory against Houston. The Nuggets will get the No. 5 seed with a loss to Houston plus a Clippers win over Golden State and a Utah win over Minnesota. Denver would drop to the sixth seed with a loss to Houston plus a Clippers victory and a Timberwolves victory. The play-in game as the No. 7 seed is also a possibility for the Nuggets – if they lose plus Minnesota and Golden State win.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers will land the No. 4 seed with a victory over Golden State and Houston victory against Denver. The Clippers will end up No. 5 with a victory plus Denver beating Houston and Utah beating Minnesota. There are other ways for the Clippers to finish fifth – with a loss plus a Minnesota loss or with a loss plus a Denver loss and a Minnesota victory.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors will finish as either sixth or seventh seed. A win vs. the Clippers guarantees the Warriors the No. 6 seed, and that would mean a first-round series featuring LeBron James and the Lakers and Steph Curry and the Warriors. The Warriors can also finish sixth with a loss – if the Jazz beat Minnesota. The Warrior will end up No. 7 with a loss and Minnesota victory.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves enter the day with widest range of possibilities. They will earn the No. 4 seed with a victory plus losses by the Nuggets and Clippers. The fifth seed can be obtained by Minnesota with a victory plus a Warriors win over the Clippers. Minnesota can also sneak into the No. 5 seed with a victory and a Denver loss. If the Timberwolves win and the Nuggets and Clippers win, they land sixth. The Timberwolves are No. 7 with a loss and a Memphis loss and go to No. 8 with a loss and a Memphis victory.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies can finish no better than No. 7. They need to win and Minnesota needs to lose for that to happen. Otherwise, Memphis is the No. 8 seed.
Sunday’s NBA schedule
(All times Eastern; all games on locally or NBA League Pass, unless otherwise noted)
Orlando at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Charlotte at Boston, 1 p.m.
New York at Brooklyn, 1 p.m.
Indiana at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Washington at Miami, 1 p.m.
Chicago at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Detroit at Milwaukee, 1 p.m., ESPN
Denver at Houston, 3:30 p.m.
Dallas at Memphis, 3:30 p.m.
Utah at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at New Orleans, 3:30 p.m.
Toronto at San Antonio, 3:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Los Angeles Lakers at Portland, 3:30 p.m.
Phoenix at Sacramento, 3:30 p.m.