The final week of the NBA season is here, but the playoff picture is still coming together.
Sunday had a handful of notable matchups that shook things around in the playoff race. Here’s a look at the updated playoff picture and standings with the end of the regular season just ahead.
Eastern Conference Standings
Western Conference Standings
The Detroit Pistons will have a drama-free final week since they’ve already secured the top seed in the East. The Celtics, Knicks and Cavs don’t have too much to worry about aside from seeding.
The current 5-10 seeds in the East have a highly consequential week ahead, however, as two of those teams will secure playoff spots while the others will have to duke it out in the play-in tournament. The Hawks have the upper hand in that race right now, but can’t relax just yet.
OKC needs to win two of its final four games this season to secure the No. 1 seed, which should be doable, but the Spurs will certainly try to dethrone the Thunder in the final week.
The Lakers, Nuggets and Rockets don’t have to stress too much knowing they’ve all secured a top-six seed, but improving their seeding is vital considering the West is loaded from top to bottom.
The Timberwolves and Suns are the teams to watch this week as they both race to secure the No. 6 seed. Minnesota is three games ahead of Phoenix, putting it in a good position, but it still has a bit of work to do.
The bottom half of the West can relax a bit more since the Clippers, Blazers and Warriors are already play-in bound with no chance at a top-six seed.