Here's a look coming out of the All-Star Break at the 12 teams with a shot to make the postseason, listed in order of each team's conference standing. The upshot of all of that? It should be a heck of a lot of fun to see how the East playoff picture shakes out. On top of teams jockeying in the standings, the biggest trade of the season - the James Harden-Ben Simmons swap between the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers - continues to reverberate across the league, and will require both teams to adjust to the arrival of big-name stars over the next several weeks. And, no matter how it shakes out, some good teams - including the preseason title favorites Brooklyn Nets, who currently find themselves in eighth place - will be playing in the play-in tournament. With five teams within 2.5 games of first place in the conference, and just six games separating sixth through 11th place, teams will be swapping spots in the standings on a nightly basis. The NBA's Eastern Conference is deeper than it has been in decades, setting up what should be a wild sprint to the playoffs over the final seven weeks of the 2021-22 NBA regular season. NBA, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers NBA playoff chase: Everything to know about 12 Eastern Conference contenders The Toronto Raptors, who will finish ninth after a 121-102 loss to second seeds the Boston Celtics, will play the 10th-placed Bulls in the first play-in game on Wednesday.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser They finished one place below the Heat, who were beaten 114-108 by the Washington Wizards. In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks are locked into eighth and the play-ins despite a 136-131 defeat by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Milwaukee Bucks, top seeds in the Western Conference, rested all their starters as they went down 137-114 to the Memphis Grizzlies, who clinched the number two spot. LeBron James' Lakers have won eight of their past 10 games and can finish no lower than eighth. The Lakers helped their cause with a 121-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns, who have already sealed fourth spot in the West. The New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers are a game further back in the chase for the sixth and final play-off place. They breezed past the Sacramento Kings 119-97 to move into fifth, although the Los Angeles Clippers will move above them with victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. The Golden State Warriors are one win away from a play-off spot in the Western Conference. In the play-ins, the teams finishing seventh to 10th in the standings compete for the two remaining play-off berths. The Mavericks had to win to dislodge the Oklahoma City Thunder from the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Irving did not feature and Luka Doncic played only 12 minutes as the Dallas Mavericks' hopes of reaching the NBA post-season were ended by a 115-112 home loss to the Chicago Bulls. "It speaks to the character of the group, the maturity and just the selflessness," said Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who returned to Brooklyn from Dallas as part of the Irving trade. The Nets will face third-placed Philadelphia 76ers in the play-offs. Victory in New York, coupled with the Miami Heat's loss, secured sixth place.
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