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With the NBA regular season concluding Sunday, the Western Conference playoff order is set. The postseason begins Tuesday with the Play-In Tournament.
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Western Conference Play-In Outlook
The Western Conference is the first to kick off its postseason play as the No. 7-seed New Orleans Pelicans (49-33) take on the No. 8-seed Los Angeles Lakers (47-35). The Pelicans will seek revenge over the Lakers after falling to Los Angeles 124-108 in the final game of the regular season. The winner of that game takes on the defending champion Denver Nuggets (57-25).
Following that game, the No. 9-seed Sacramento Kings (46-36) take on the No. 10-seed Golden State Warriors (46-36). The Kings finished their regular season Sunday, routing the Portland Trail Blazers 121-82. Also, the Warriors finished their regular season with a defeat over the Utah Jazz.
The #SoFiPlayIn matchups are set!
Tuesday on TNT:
7:30pm/et: #8 Lakers at #7 Pelicans
10:00pm/et: #10 Warriors at #9 KingsWednesday on ESPN:
7:00pm/et: #8 Heat at #7 Sixers
9:30pm/et: #10 Hawks at #9 Bulls pic.twitter.com/mARzNZhZJ9— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024
Furthermore, the winner of the Kings-Warriors game will take on the loser of the Pelicans-Lakers game, with the loser being eliminated. Lastly, the winner of the eighth seed game plays the No. 1-seed Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) in the first round.
Top Seeds
The Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the No. 1 seed in the West with their defeat over the Dallas Mavericks 135-86. This is the teams first playoff trip in four years. Right behind them are the defending champion Denver Nuggets with the No. 2 seed. The Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26) and the Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) claim the three and four seeds. The Timberwolves take on the No. 6-seed Phoenix Suns (49-33). The Clippers take on the No. 5-seed Dallas Mavericks.
FINAL 2023-24 NBA REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS! pic.twitter.com/H0fBmzOACZ
— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024
NBA Championship Odds
Despite the Thunder holding the No. 1 spot in the West, the Nuggets are currently favored to win the Western Conference, according to FanDuel. The Los Angeles Clippers are behind them. Additionally, the Nuggets follow the Boston Celtics with the highest odds to win the NBA Championship.
Postseason Schedule
Following the Play-In tournament, the first round of the NBA Playoffs begins Saturday in a best-of-seven series. The second round begins May 6-7, but could be moved to May 4-5 if the first round ends early. Moreover, the conference finals starts May 21-22, but could be moved to May 19-20 if the second round ends early. The NBA Finals begin June 6 with the best-of-seven series between the winner of the Eastern and Western Conference.
