All 30 NBA teams are in action tonight, then every team is off on Saturday, then Sunday is one final shakeout day. With that said, there are a lot of scenarios that will play out today. Here is what you need to know.
Playoff Scenarios
Eastern Conference
• Boston can secure the No. 2 seed (and the Atlantic Division crown, if we care about that) with New Orleans or a New York loss to Toronto.
• New York secures no lower than the No. 3 seed with a win over Toronto or a Cleveland loss to Atlanta.
• Toronto can clinch a top-six playoff spot with a win over the Knicks, and if Atlanta and Orlando also lose than the Raptors lock into the No. 5 seed.
• Atlanta clinches a top-six playoff spot with a win over Cleveland (or losses by Orlando and Charlotte).
• Charlotte becomes locked into the play-in with a loss to Detroit.
• Orlando becomes locked into the play-in with a loss to Chicago or wins by Atlanta and Toronto.
• Philadelphia is locked into the play-in with a loss to Indiana or a Toronto win over New York
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Western Conference
• Denver can lock in as the No. 3 seed with a win over Oklahoma City and a Lakers loss to the Suns.
• The Los Angeles Lakers can lock in no lower than the No. 4 seed with a win against Phoenix and a Houston loss to Minnesota.
• The LA Clippers can secure the No. 8 seed with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Games to Watch
Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m. ET, Prime Video
Both teams want this one and both teams come in playing well. Cleveland still has a slim chance at passing the Knicks for the No. 3 seed (the Raptors would have to win out and the Knicks lose out). This game matters more to the Hawks, who can still finish anywhere from fifth to eighth in the East, but with a win over Cleveland secures itself a top-six spot and avoiding the play-in at least.
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Toronto Raptors at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass
New York can clinch the No. 3 seed with a win, making their Sunday game against Charlotte moot for them. Toronto could still finish anywhere from fifth to eighth in the East, but a win against New York secures a top-six seed and avoids the play-in.
Oklahoma City at Denver Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET, League Pass
Oklahoma City has locked up the No. 1 seed, but this could be an interesting game for it strategically. While the Thunder will say they don’t care about playoff matchups, they would be much better off with Denver as the No. 3 seed (which could set up a brutal seven-game series between the Nuggets and Spurs in the second round). The Lakers and Rockets are just one game back of the Nuggets. If OKC beats Denver, it opens the door to the Nuggets falling back to fourth, and with that, potentially meeting the Thunder in the second round. The Thunder are never going to try to lose a game and have a deep roster, but if they lost this game, would it be the worst thing?
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LA Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET, League Pass
This game essentially decides the 8 and 9 seeds in the West (Portland is one game back of the Clippers but would have the tiebreaker with the win). The Clippers lock up the No. 8 seed with a win. Portland would control its own destiny to be the No. 8 with a win — it would have the tiebreaker over LA and could only fall to ninth if it lost to Sacramento on Sunday while the Clippers beat the Warriors. Eighth is a much easier path to the playoffs (win just one of two games, rather than having to win two in a row).
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