Entering Sunday’s 15-game slate to close out the regular season, only half of the postseason seeds were locked in place. That left 10 seeds up for grabs. Here’s a breakdown of each team’s seeding scenarios and final standing.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The top four teams were locked into their seeds entering the regular-season finale.
- No. 1 Detroit (59-22)
- No. 2 Boston (55-26)
- No. 3 New York (53-28)
- No. 4 Cleveland (51-30)
The remaining teams in the East battled it out for positioning.
Atlanta (46-35): The Hawks entered Sunday’s game at Miami at No. 5.
- ❌
No. 5 Finish: With a win, the Hawks lock up No. 5. With a loss, the Hawks need a win by Orlando or a loss by Toronto - ✅ No. 6 Finish: With a loss and an Orlando loss plus a Toronto win
Toronto (45-36): The Raptors entered Sunday’s game vs. Brooklynat No. 6.
- ✅ No. 5 Finish: With a win and losses by Atlanta and Orlando
- ❌
No. 6 Finish:With a loss and losses by Orlando & Philadelphia - ❌
No. 7 Finish:With a loss and wins by either Orlando or Philadelphia (but not both) - ❌
No. 8 Finish:With a loss and wins by both Orlando and Philadelphia
Orlando (45-36): The Magic entered Sunday’s game at Boston at No. 7.
- ❌
No. 6 Finish:With a win and a Toronto loss - ❌
No. 7 Finish:With a win and a Toronto win or with a loss and a Philadelphia loss - ✅ No. 8 Finish: With a loss and a Philadelphia win
Philadelphia (44-37): The 76ers entered Sunday’s game vs. Milwaukee at No. 8.
- ❌
No. 6 Finish:With a win and losses by both Toronto and Orlando - ✅ No. 7 Finish: With a win and a loss by either Toronto or Orlando (but not both)
- ❌
No. 8 Finish:With a loss, or with wins by both Toronto and Orlando
Charlotte (43-38): The Hornets entered Sunday’s game at New York at No. 9.
- ✅ No. 9 Finish: With a win or a Miami loss
- ❌
No. 10 Finish:With a loss and a Miami win
Miami (42-39): The Heat entered Sunday’s game vs. Atlanta at No. 10.
- ❌
No. 9 Finish:With a win and a Charlotte loss - ✅ No. 10 Finish: With a loss or a Charlotte win
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The following teams were locked into their seeds entering Sunday.
- No. 1 Oklahoma City (64-17)
- No. 2 San Antonio (62-19)
- No. 5 Houston (51-30)
- No. 6 Minnesota (48-33)
- No. 7 Phoenix (44-37)
- No. 10 Golden State (37-44)
That left four teams looking to improve their standing on Sunday, including a key distinction between the top half and bottom half of the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament.
Denver (53-28): The Nuggets entered Sunday’s game at San Antonio at No. 3.
- ✅ No. 3 Finish: With a win or a Lakers loss
- ❌
No. 4 Finish:With a loss and a Lakers win
Los Angeles (52-29): The Lakers entered Sunday’s game vs. Utah at No. 4.
- ❌
No. 3 Finish:With a win and a Nuggets loss ✅No. 4 Finish: With a loss or a Nuggets win
Portland (41-40): The Blazers entered Sunday’s game vs. Sacramento at No. 8.
- ✅ No. 8 Finish: With a win or a Clippers loss
- ❌
No. 9 Finish:With a loss and a Clippers win
LA (41-40): The Clippers entered Sunday’s game vs. Golden State at No. 9.
- ❌
No. 8 Finish:With a win and a Blazers loss - ✅ No. 9 Finish: With a loss or a Blazers win
