0 of 3
Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors are reeling. The Memphis Grizzlies can’t be stopped—even without Ja Morant. The Toronto Raptors are in to the East’s top six and still ascending.
Things are happening in the NBA world, and they are moving the league standings on a nightly basis.
The Eastern Conference is a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. A single game separates the top four seeds. The same gap exists between the fifth, sixth and seventh seeds.
There is more breathing room atop the West, where the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies keep stockpiling wins and distancing themselves from the rest. But it bunches up right behind them with only three games standing between seed Nos. 3 through 6.
After laying out the latest league standings, we’ll take a deeper dive into each conference’s playoff picture.
1 of 3
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Eastern Conference
1. y-Miami Heat: 48-28
2. Philadelphia 76ers: 46-28
3. Milwaukee Bucks: 46-28
4. Boston Celtics: 47-29
5. Chicago Bulls: 43-32
6. Toronto Raptors: 43-32
7. Cleveland Cavaliers: 42-33
8. Brooklyn Nets: 39-36
9. Charlotte Hornets: 39-37
10. Atlanta Hawks: 38-37
11. New York Knicks: 34-42
12. Washington Wizards: 32-42
13. e-Indiana Pacers: 25-51
14. e-Detroit Pistons: 20-55
15. e-Orlando Magic: 20-56
Western Conference
1. b-Phoenix Suns: 61-14
2. x-Memphis Grizzlies: 53-23
3. Golden State Warriors: 48-28
4. Dallas Mavericks: 46-29
5. Utah Jazz: 45-30
6. Denver Nuggets: 45-31
7. Minnesota Timberwolves: 43-33
8. Los Angeles Clippers: 36-39
9. New Orleans Pelicans: 32-43
10. Los Angeles Lakers: 31-43
11. San Antonio Spurs: 31-44
12. Portland Trail Blazers: 27-48
13. Sacramento Kings: 27-49
14. e-Oklahoma City Thunder: 22-53
15. e-Houston Rockets: 20-56
b-clinched best league record
y-clinched division
x-clinched playoff berth
e-eliminated from playoff contention
2 of 3
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Current Playoff Bracket
No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Seed
No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Chicago Bulls
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Toronto Raptors
No. 2 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 7 Seed
Play-In Matchups
No. 7 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Brooklyn Nets
No. 9 Charlotte Hornets vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks
Races To Watch
It might be easier to breathe in the outer space than it is at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Case in point: The Celtics carried the East’s No. 1 seed into Monday night. One overtime loss to the Raptors later, Boston was bounced all the way down to No. 4. The Shamrocks’ bigger concern, though, is the loss of defensive stalwart Robert Williams III, who will miss at least several weeks with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
If Boston stumbles without its defensive anchor, this becomes a three-team fight for No. 1 between the Heat, 76ers and Bucks. Philadelphia has the easiest remaining schedule of the three, and Milwaukee has the hardest, per Tankathon.com.
Elsewhere in the standings, the red-hot Raptors are now neck-and-neck with the struggling Bulls. The Cavaliers are just a game back of both, and catching either one would mean escaping the Play-In Tournament. Speaking of which, just a single game stands between the eighth-seeded Nets, ninth-seeded Hornets and 10th-seeded Hawks, all of whom are 7-3 over their last 10 outings.
3 of 3
Glenn James/Getty Images
Current Playoff Bracket
No. 1 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 8 Seed
No. 4 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz
No. 3 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 6 Denver Nuggets
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Seed
Play-In Matchups
No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers
No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 10 Los Angeles Lakers
Races To Watch
No one can catch the Suns, and no one is pushing the Grizzlies for No. 2 anymore, but those clubs are still sprinting to the finish line. Both are 9-1 over their last 10 games. No one else in the conference has more than six wins to show for its last 10 tilts.
Opportunities are there for teams to improve their seeds, but no one can gain traction. The Mavericks might be coming the closest, as their recent 11-4 run has them up to fourth and only 1.5 games back of the third-seeded Warriors. Golden State, which had the NBA’s best record earlier this season, might be running out of gas and has gone just 1-5 since losing Stephen Curry to a foot injury.
The Jazz are 2.5 games back of the Warriors, while Denver sits just a half-game back of Utah, so Golden State could really tumble with a particularly rough finish. But that only happens if the Jazz (losers of four straight) or the Nuggets (5-5 in their last 10) win enough to actually push the Warriors.
Finally, the ninth-seeded Pelicans, 10th-seeded Lakers and 11th-seeded Spurs have just a single game between them. The loser of this three-team race gets left out of the Play-In Tournament. L.A. is in serious danger of being left behind. The Lakers are 3-7 over their last 10 games and close the campaign with the league’s second-toughest schedule.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
