The 2024 NBA Playoff picture is starting to come into focus. Now that we’ve gotten past LeBron’s 40,000 points, we can focus on the team’s positioning for the offseason. Every postseason, there are 10 teams who qualify to play in the postseason. The teams who are ranked #7 through #10 have to earn a spot via the NBA Play-in tournament. We will update you on the NBA Playoff picture regularly until we know what the final seeds are for the postseason. You can view the latest NBA Playoff picture and scores on our other article here.
How Does the NBA Play-In Tournament Work?
The NBA Play-In tournament has three games in each conference. There are a total of six games across the NBA for this part of the schedule. The opening games will pit the #7 vs the #8 seed in each conference. Whichever team wins this game is in. They are the #7 seed for their respective conference.
On April 17th, the #9 and #10 seeds from each conference play each other. The team who wins this game goes on to play the loser of the #7/#8 seed matchup. The loser of the #9/#10 seed game goes home.
On April 19th, the East Loser 7 / 8 plays the East Winner 9 /10. The same matchup occurs for the Western Conference teams. The winner of this game will be the #8 seed for their respective conference.
Is the NBA Play-In Tournament on TV?
Yes, the NBA Play-In games are broadcast on TV by the NBA. For the 2024 NBA Play-In tournament, the games will be shown on either TNT or ESPN. The 2024 NBA Play-In TV schedule will be confirmed closer to game day.
2024 NBA Playoff Picture (March 28)
The 2024 NBA Playoff picture can change dramatically depending on the day. While the Boston Celtics have established a significant lead in the East, the West standings can change frequently. This differs a bit from the NBA Power Rankings that you will come across on various sports sites that remain a bit more static. Either way, we’ll keep you updated on where the teams sit as we move through March Madness into NBA Playoff time. Everyone will be waiting to see if we have teams that will give the Denver Nuggets a good series before it’s time for the 2024 NBA Finals. The standings are updated as of morning Pacific time, March 28th, 2024.
2024 Eastern Conference Playoff Picture
| Seed | TEAM | W | L | GP |
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 57 | 15 | – |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 46 | 26 | 11 |
| 3 | New York Knicks | 44 | 28 | 13 |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 44 | 29 | 13.5 |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | 42 | 30 | 15 |
| 6 | Indiana Pacers | 41 | 33 | 17 |
| 7 | Miami Heat | 39 | 33 | 18 |
| 8 | Philadelphia 76ers | 39 | 34 | 18.5 |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls | 35 | 38 | 22.5 |
| 10 | Atlanta Hawks | 33 | 39 | 24 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 28 | 45 | 29.5 | |
| Toronto Raptors | 23 | 50 | 34.5 |
2024 Western Conference Playoff Picture
| Seed | TEAM | W | L | GP |
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | 51 | 22 | – |
| 2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 50 | 22 | 0.5 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 50 | 22 | 0.5 |
| 4 | LA Clippers | 45 | 27 | 5.5 |
| 5 | New Orleans Pelicans | 44 | 28 | 6.5 |
| 6 | Dallas Mavericks | 43 | 29 | 7.5 |
| 7 | Phoenix Suns | 43 | 30 | 8 |
| 8 | Sacramento Kings | 42 | 30 | 8.5 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Lakers | 41 | 32 | 10 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 38 | 34 | 12.5 |
| Houston Rockets | 37 | 35 | 13.5 | |
| Utah Jazz | 29 | 44 | 22 |
Eastern Conference Playoff Picture
So, a common question I get asked is how would the NBA Playoffs look if the postseason started right now? So, if the postseason began today, here’s what the Eastern Conference matchups and seeds would look like in the NBA Playoff picture. (April 4th, pre-game) Please note the conference standings are not updated above yet. Below playoff matchups are based on the standings pre-game April 4th.
Eastern Conference
(1) Celtics vs. (8) Play-In Winner
(2) Bucks vs. (7) Play-In Winner
(3) Cavaliers vs. (6) Heat
(4) Magic vs. (5) Knicks
Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament
(7) Pacers vs. (8) 76ers
(9) Bulls vs. (10) Hawks
Western Conference Playoff Picture
If the postseason started right now, here’s what the Western Conference matchups would look like.
Western Conference
(1) Timberwolves vs. (8) Play-In Winner
(2) Nuggets vs. (7) Play-In Winner
(3) Thunder vs. (6) Suns
(4) Clippers vs. (5) Mavericks
Western Conference Play-In Tournament
(7) Pelicans vs. (8) Kings
(9) Lakers vs. (10) Warriors
2024 NBA Playoff Schedule
If you are looking for the 2024 NBA Playoff schedule, we have the dates for your planning. If you are looking for the NBA Playoff bracket, we have that posted for you to use as well as the 2024 NBA Playoff schedule.
April 16-19: NBA Play-In Tournament
April 20: NBA Playoffs 2024 begin
May 6-7: Conference Semifinals begin (possible move up to May 4-5)
May 21-22: Conference Finals begin (possible move up to May 19-20)
June 6: NBA Finals 2024 Game 1
June 9: NBA Finals 2024 Game 2
June 12: NBA Finals 2024 Game 3
June 14: NBA Finals 2024 Game 4
June 17: NBA Finals 2024 Game 5 (if necessary)
June 20: NBA Finals 2024 Game 6 (if necessary)
June 23: NBA Finals 2024 Game 7 (if necessary)
