14 of 20 playoff seeds are still undecided with two days left.
With the regular season ending Sunday, April 12, the NBA playoff picture is a beautiful mess. Only 6 of 20 postseason seeds are locked in — the Thunder at #1 in the West, the Spurs at #2 in the West, the Pistons at #1 in the East, and playoff berths for the Celtics, Knicks, and Cavaliers. Everything else is still up for grabs.
In the East, the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, and Charlotte Hornets are all fighting to clinch a top-6 seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament entirely. Embiid's emergency appendectomy makes Philly's path significantly harder. The Heat are locked into a Play-In spot but could still move up.
The Western Conference is even more chaotic. The Lakers and Rockets are tied for the 4th seed. The Nuggets are surging on a 10-game win streak. The Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors are all locked into Play-In spots but jockeying for positioning. The SoFi Play-In Tournament tips off Tuesday, April 14, with the full playoff bracket starting Saturday, April 18.