NBA playoff picture: Thunder clinch No. 1 seed in the West; The Suns and Pacers secure the final bid in each conference

The 2023-24 NBA regular season is over, and we now know the six teams in each conference, as well as the four teams competing in a tournament play-in for the final two seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences.

The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers secured the six playoff spots in the East.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns will participate in the first round.

In the Play-In Championship in the East, the Philadelphia 76ers will face the Miami Heat, and the Chicago Bulls will face the Atlanta Hawks. The West will witness the Los Angeles Lakers facing the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Sacramento Kings facing the Golden State Warriors.

The tournament will be held on Tuesday and Friday, with the first round of the 2024 NBA qualifiers starting on Saturday.

The Thunder win a three-way battle for the No. 1 seed in the West

The games were concluded on Sunday on the final day of the regular season with a playoff spot at stake across the board. The Thunder clinched a three-way race for the top seed in the West with a 135-86 win over a Mavericks team that had nothing to play for, plus a Timberwolves loss to the Suns. The Nuggets earned the No. 2 seed thanks to a win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

With the win over Minnesota, Phoenix moved into the No. 6 seed and a guaranteed final playoff spot in the West. The Pelicans dominated as the No. 6 seed entering Sunday, but fell into the game with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the East, the Knicks edged the Milwaukee Bucks into second place with an overtime win over the Bulls. The Bucks fell to the No. 3 seed with a loss to the Magic, who earned the No. 5 seed. The Pacers beat the Hawks, earning a guaranteed final conference berth, and the 76ers and Heat were relegated to the playoffs.

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics
2. New York Knicks
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers

Playing in
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Miami Heat
9. Chicago Bulls
10. Atlanta Hawks

Play on schedule
Wednesday 17 April

No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Friday 19 April

76ers-Heat loser vs. Bulls-Hawks winner, time TBD (ESPN)

First round matches

No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 seed (secondary winner)

No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 seed (76ers vs. Heat)

No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Phoenix Suns

Playing in
7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Los Angeles Lakers
9. Sacramento Kings
10. Golden State Warriors

Play on schedule

Tuesday 16 April

No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)

Friday 19 April

Loser of Pelicans – Lakers vs. winner of Kings-Warriors, Time TBD (TNT)

First round matches

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 seed (secondary winner)

2nd seed Denver Nuggets vs. 7th seed (Pelicans-Lakers game winner)

No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns

No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

2024 nba finals schedule

Thursday 6 June: Game 1
Sunday 9 June: Game 2
Wednesday 12 June: Game 3
Friday, June 14: Game 4
Monday 17 June: Game 5 (if necessary)
Thursday 20 June: Game 6 (if necessary)
Sunday 23 June: Game 7 (if necessary)