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Sunday update: The Clippers and Warriors both won their games, so they are in the playoffs as automatic berths. The Lakers are going to the play-in tournament. The Timberwolves defeated the Pelicans, so it’ll be Lakers-Wolves as the 7-8 West game and Pelicans-Thunder as the 9-10 West game. Here’s the full bracket now.
East
No. 1 Bucks vs. TBD
No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Knicks
No. 2 Celtics vs. TBD
No. 3 76ers vs. No. 6 Nets
Play-in
No. 7 Heat vs. No 8 Hawks
No. 9 Raptors vs. No. 10 Bulls
West
No. 1 Nuggets vs. TBD
No. 4 Suns vs. No. 5 Clippers
No. 2 Grizzlies vs. TBD
No. 3 Kings vs. No. 6 Warriors
Play-in
No. 7 Lakers vs. No. 8 Timberwolves
No. 9 Pelicans vs. No. 10 Thunder
Saturday update: The 10 teams in the East are set with seeding, while the 10 teams in the West are also set with the top four seeds locked in. The Thunder are locked in as the No. 10 seed. The question now is what happens for seeds 5-9. The NBA has provided a massive combination of scenarios which you are welcome to look through if you wish to. We’ll have a more clear picture of what needs to happen after today’s games.
Complete Western Conference Playoff and Play-In Scenarios for today and tomorrow.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 8, 2023
Seeds 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GGrydWi4fC
Friday PM update: The Heat and Raptors have lost, which means the 10 teams in the East are set with seeding also determined. The Nets are the No. 6 seed and will play the 76ers in the first round. The Heat and Hawks will meet in the first play-in game, while the Raptors and Bulls will play in the elimination game. The loser of Heat-Hawks will meet the winner of Raptors-Bulls for the No. 8 seed. The winner of Heat-Hawks will be the No. 7 seed.
The Grizzlies defeated the Bucks, so Memphis is the No. 2 seed in the West. Sacramento is the No. 3 seed.
The Mavericks have successfully tanked and are eliminated from play-in contention.
There are 11 games on Friday’s NBA slate, many of which have playoff implications for the 2023 postseason. While the Eastern Conference playoff picture is largely set, the seedings are still somewhat up in the air. In the Western Conference, there are seedings and teams left to be determined. Here’s a look at how the bracket is shaping up for the 2023 NBA playoffs heading into Friday’s action.
2023 NBA playoffs bracket
Eastern Conference playoffs
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
Eastern Conference play-in field
No. 7 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
No. 9 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 10 Bulls
Here’s a look at the West playoff picture, which has plenty of question marks.
Western Conference playoffs
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. TBD
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 TBD
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 TBD
The West play-in tournament is equally up in the air.
Western Conference play-in field
No. 7 TBD vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 9 TBD vs. No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder
The Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks are all fighting for the remaining spots. Two teams will get automatic berths, and one will be eliminated from play-in contention. The rest will go to the play-in tournament.