NBA Playoff Scenarios Ahead of Game 81

Tonight, 22 teams will participate in their penultimate game of the season and there is a lot of playoff positioning that will be decided after the result of the games.

In the Eastern Conference...

• The Brooklyn Nets can clinch the No. 6 seed and avoid the Play-In tournament with a win against the Orlando Magic OR a Miami Heat loss against the Washington Wizards.
• The Atlanta Hawks can clinch the No. 8 seed, which guarantees them at least two chances in the Play-In Tournament, with a win against the Philadelphia 76ers OR a Toronto Raptors loss against the Boston Celtics.

Here’s how the current standings look:

1. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Boston Celtics
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. New York Knicks
6. Brooklyn Nets (could be 6 or 7)
7. Miami Heat (could be 6 or 7)
8. Atlanta Hawks (could be 8 or 9)
9. Toronto Raptors (could be 8 or 9)
10. Chicago Bulls

In the Western Conference...

• The Memphis Grizzlies can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win against the Milwaukee Bucks OR a Sacramento Kings loss against the Golden State Warriors.
• The Golden State Warriors can clinch a playoff spot (No. 5 or 6 seed) with a win against the Kings AND a Los Angeles Lakers loss against the Phoenix Suns AND a New Orleans Pelicans loss against the New York Knicks.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder can clinch a Play-In slot with a Dallas Mavericks loss against the Chicago Bulls. The Mavericks need to win each of their final two games and a Thunder loss Sunday against the Grizzlies for a shot at the Play-In tournament.

Here’s how the current standings look:

1. Denver Nuggets
2. Memphis Grizzlies (could be 2 or 3)
3. Sacramento Kings (could be 2 or 3)
4. Phoenix Suns
5. LA Clippers (could be 5-9)
6. Golden State Warriors (could be 5-9)
7. Los Angeles Lakers (could be 5-9)
8. New Orleans Pelicans (could be 5-9)
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (could be 5-9)
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (could be 10 or 11)
11. Dallas Mavericks (could be 10 or 11)

Update

The NBA has released a chart of scenarios operative on Saturday the 8th, based on the 81st game of the season for most teams. It can be found here: