NBA 2024 Playoff tiebreakers: List of all potential tiebreakers this season
The 2023-24 NBA season has gone down the wire in a way that many expected to be exciting but not this exciting. 10 teams from the Eastern Conference and another 10 from the West will move past the regular season. Out of the 20 teams, only five know where they stand leading to Sunday’s last regular season game date.
Roosting at the top of the totem pole of the entire standings are the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum and Co. hold homecourt advantage throughout the entire playoffs. The Chicago Bulls will host the Atlanta Hawks in the battle between the No. 9 and 10 seeds.
Out West, only the Dallas Mavericks and the LA Clippers have secured their spots as the No. 4 and 5 seeds. They will perhaps offer the most entertaining first-round matchup throughout the entire NBA playoffs. Luka Doncic’s Mavericks against the Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers will be riveting.
Except for those five teams, the rest have something to play for on Sunday.
The Bucks, Knicks and Cavaliers are jockeying for the No. 2 seed in the NBA Eastern Conference
The Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are all jostling for the No. 2 seed in the East. Here is where they stand ahead of Sunday’s crucial NBA games:
If all three teams win or simultaneously lose, they retain their current spots. For the Knicks to overtake the Bucks, they have to win against the Chicago Bulls and hope the Orlando Magic beat Giannis Antetokounmpo’s squad. Milwaukee owns the tiebreaker so New York gets the higher seed only if it ends up with the superior record.
The Cavaliers vault over both if they can defend their home court against the lowly Charlotte Hornets while the Knicks and the Bucks lose.
The Magic, Pacers, 76ers and Heat battle for the No. 5 and 6 seeds in the East
Four teams are in the mix for the East’s final two guaranteed tickets to the NBA playoffs.
Here are their standings before Sunday’s games:
If the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers win, the Magic and the Pacers grab the enviable fifth and sixth seeds. Philly swept Orlando in the regular season but a win by the Magic gives them the NBA’s Southeast Division title and the higher seed. Joel Embiid and the 76ers will battle in the play-in tournament in this scenario.
The Miami Heat can still nail the No. 6 spot if they repeat against the Toronto Raptors after beating them on Friday and the Magic and the 76ers lose. Jimmy Butler and his teammates can even pull out the improbable and grab the No. 5 seed if they win while the other three teams falter.
Philadelphia can still get either the No. 5 or 6 seed if they beat the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando loses to Milwaukee and Indiana bests Atlanta.
The battle for the No. 1 seed in the West is complicated
The Denver Nuggets’ stunning 121-120 collapse in San Antonio on Friday opened the door for the OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves to win the West. It is the first time in NBA history that three teams have a chance of earning the top spot in a conference with all three holding a 56-25 card.
Interestingly enough, all three are under the same Northwest division so things will really get interesting on Sunday. If every team wins or loses, the OKC Thunder get the No. 1 seed as it holds the tiebreaker (5-3) over the Nuggets and the Timberwolves in the division. Oklahoma will stay in the same spot if the Timberwolves lose while the Thunder and the Nuggets win.
If the Denver Nuggets stumble and the Thunder and Timberwolves earn victories, Minnesota rules the West as it owns the head-to-head versus Oklahoma. A loss by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team while the other two wins will let Minnesota keep the top spot but OKC drops to third.
The defending NBA champs will remain third if both the Nuggets and Thunder lose. Oklahoma will finish second in this situation. Denver’s only chance of winning the No. 1 seed is if it wins and the Thunder and Timberwolves lose.
The Suns and the Pelicans vie for the No. 6 seed in the West
The battle for the No. 6 seed in the West between the Phoenix Suns (48-33) and the New Orleans Pelicans (49-32) is quite clear. New Orleans holds the tiebreaker over Phoenix and can grab the enviable slot if both teams win or lose.
The Pelicans will only fail to hold on to that spot if they lose and the Suns win.
The LA Lakers have one hand on the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference
At 46-35, the LA Lakers have one hand on the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They will keep that rank if they beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. A Lakers loss, followed by wins by the Golden State Warriors (45-36) and the Sacramento Kings (45-36) will be disastrous to them. LeBron James and his crew will drop to 10th in this scenario while the Kings move up to No. 8.
The highest the Dubs can move up is No. 9. If they win and the Kings lose, they host an NBA play-in tournament game.