The 2024 NBA postseason is underway, and the Lakers are moving on in the bracket after picking up a road win over the Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. The Lakers secured the No. 7 seed in the West with the victory, and they’ll move on to face the defending champion Nuggets in the first round. As the Lakers moved on, the Warriors were knocked out of the bracket.
The Kings ousted the Warriors in the West’s other Play-In Tournament game on Tuesday. Sacramento advances to face the Pelicans on Friday night. Three more seeds need to be decided in the Play-In Tournament this week before the first round tips off on Saturday.
The East Play-In games will go down Wednesday night. The 76ers host the Heat with the East’s No. 7 seed on the line. The Knicks will face the winner of that game in the first round. The Bulls square off with the Hawks in the 9/10 matchup later Wednesday night. The Celtics, who won 64 games in the regular season and have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, will face off with the East’s No. 8 seed in the first round, starting on Sunday.
Meanwhile, five first-round series are now locked in: Bucks vs. Pacers and Cavaliers vs. Magic in the East and Timberwolves vs. Suns, Clippers vs. Mavericks and Nuggets vs. Lakers in the West. The first round of the playoffs starts on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the complete playoff bracket with all the seeds set. You can see the full playoff schedule here.
2024 NBA playoff bracket
West
(1) Thunder vs. (8) Pelicans/Kings
(2) Nuggets vs. (7) Lakers
(3) Timberwolves vs. (6) Suns
(4) Clippers vs. (5) Mavericks
East
(1) Celtics vs. (8) 76ers/Heat/Bulls/Hawks
(2) Knicks vs. (7) 76ers/Heat
(3) Bucks vs. (6) Pacers
(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Magic
Final Eastern Conference standings
- Boston Celtics – 64-18
- New York Knicks – 50-32
- Milwaukee Bucks – 49-33
- Cleveland Cavaliers – 48-34
- Orlando Magic – 47-35
- Indiana Pacers – 47-35
- Philadelphia 76ers – 47-35
- Miami Heat – 46-36
- Chicago Bulls – 39-43
- Atlanta Hawks – 36-46
Final Western Conference standings
- Oklahoma City Thunder – 57-25
- Denver Nuggets – 57-25
- Minnesota Timberwolves – 56-26
- Los Angeles Clippers – 51-31
- Dallas Mavericks – 50-32
- Phoenix Suns – 49-33
- New Orleans Pelicans – 49-33
- Los Angeles Lakers – 47-35
- Sacramento Kings – 46-36
- Golden State Warriors – 46-36
Play-In Tournament schedule
(All times Eastern)
Tuesday, April 16
No. 8 Lakers 110, No. 7 Pelicans 106
No. 9 Kings 118, No. 10 Warriors 94
Wednesday, April 17
No. 7 76ers vs. No. 8 Heat, 7 p.m., ESPN/fubo
No. 9 Bulls vs. No. 10 Hawks, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Friday, April 19
East No. 7/8 vs. East No. 9/10, Time TBD, ESPN/fubo
Pelicans vs. Kings, Time TBD, TNT
2024 NBA playoffs schedule: First round
Saturday, April 20
Game 1: Knicks vs. East No. 7, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Magic, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Nuggets vs. Lakers, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Timberwolves vs. Suns, Time/TV TBD
Sunday, April 21
Game 1: Celtics vs. East No. 8, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Bucks vs. Pacers, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Thunder vs. West No. 8, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Clippers vs. Mavericks, Time/TV TBD
