NBA Playoff Picture & Standings: Predictions for Regular Season Finale

NBA playoff picture standings predictions

Getty Russell Westbrook #0 and Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder

The final day of the 2019 NBA regular season is upon us, and not surprisingly, there’s plenty to still be sorted out. While the NBA playoff picture has gotten more clear after Tuesday’s action, multiple seedings in both the Western and Eastern Conferences remain up for grabs. We’re going to take a look at both sides of the upcoming playoff bracket and evaluate the standings in the two conferences.

Beyond that, we’ll look at how Wednesday’s games can impact the final playoff picture, which teams could see their seeding change and who benefits the most from a win. Let’s start off with the Eastern Conference, where one spot is up for grabs, but three of the seeds could change.


NBA’s Eastern Conference Playoff Picture & Predictions

*Notates team locked into current seed

  1. 1. *Milwaukee Bucks 60-21
  2. 2. *Toronto Raptors 58-24
  3. 3. *Philadelphia 76ers 50-31
  4. 4. *Boston Celtics 49-33
  5. 5. *Indiana Pacers 47-34
  6. 6. Brooklyn Nets 41-40
  7. 7. Orlando Magic 41-40
  8. 8. Detroit Pistons 40-41
  9. Charlotte Hornets 39-42

While the Brooklyn Nets or Orlando Magic sit as the No.  6 and 7 seeds, the former can’t fall below either of those spots. As for the Magic, they can drop down to eight or jump to six depending on how Wednesday plays out. Brooklyn will clinch the No. 6 spot with a win over the Miami Heat or if Orlando loses to the Charlotte Hornets.

And speaking of the Hornets, they’ll need to defeat the Magic and have the New York Knicks defeat the Detroit Pistons in order to get in. But if both the Pistons and Hornets win, Detroit would jump up to No. 7 while Orlando would then finish as the No.  8 seed due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Prediction on seeds up for grabs: Nets (No. 6), Pistons (No. 7), Magic (No. 8)


NBA’s Western Conference Playoff Picture & Predictions

*Notates team locked into current seed

  1. 1. *Golden State Warriors 57-24
  2. 2. Denver Nuggets 53-28
  3. 3. Houston Rockets 53-29
  4. 4. Portland Trail Blazers 52-29
  5. 5. *Utah Jazz 50-31
  6. 6. Oklahoma City Thunder 48-33
  7. 7. San Antonio Spurs 47-34
  8. 8. Los Angeles Clippers 47-34

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a huge win over the Houston Rockets thanks to a clutch 3-pointer with less than two seconds remaining in regulation by Paul George. Following the 112-111 win, the Thunder will avoid the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors, as PlayoffStatus.com details.

Beyond that, the Rockets could have grabbed the No. 2 seed from the Denver Nuggets with a win, but will now fall if the Nuggets knock off the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. With Houston’s season now over, they’ll await the outcome of Denver’s game, but also the final game for the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the Blazers defeating the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday on a Moe Harkless buzzer-beater, if they knock off the Sacramento Kings, it would leave them with the same record as the Rockets. Assuming Denver wins and it’s a head-to-head tiebreaker, the Blazers would jump the Rockets after winning two of three against them this season.

On the opposite side of that, due to the multi-way tiebreaker rules which state the division leaders holding the first advantage if the Nuggets lose and Portland wins, the Blazers would be No. 4. Portland has also secured homecourt advantage, regardless of the outcome of their final game.

Heading into the final day of the regular season, six teams in the West could see their current playoff seeding change either for better or worse.

Prediction on seeds up for grabs: Nuggets (No. 2), Rockets (No. 3), Blazers (No. 4), Jazz (No. 5)**, Thunder (No. 6), Spurs (No. 7), Clippers (No. 8)

**Jazz are set as the No. 5 seed

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