Several teams still have a lot of work to do to secure a strong postseason place before the NBA regular season ends on April 14. The Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday guaranteed a spot in the postseason for a few more teams, including the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans. With their victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the Dallas Mavericks also guaranteed a position in the Play-In, albeit the Warriors’ victory would have also placed them there.
Even if the Warriors’ victory may have benefited a few other teams, they still face danger in the postseason. However, following their sixth straight victory on Thursday, they are still in the running at No. 10 in the Western Conference.
The ten teams in the Eastern Conference are already set. The Boston Celtics have already clinched the Playoffs by securing their title as the No. 1 club with their 60-16 record, which is the best in the league. The Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks have also qualified for the Play-In round.
Recall that the top six teams in each conference earn places in the NBA playoffs, with the remaining seven to ten teams competing for the final two slots in the Play-In tournament.
Standings in the playoffs as of Friday, April 5.
In the nine games that remain, the playoff standings might still shift dramatically because a number of clubs are still too close to one another to declare as secure. Before Friday’s games start, this is the current situation.
