It took nearly six months and 82 games, but the NBA playoff field firmly cemented into place Sunday with the end of the regular season.
While a majority of teams already knew their playoff destiny, like the Boston Celtics who sat all their regulars in their win over the Atlanta Hawks, there were other squads still jockeying for seeding on the final day, especially in the tightly contested Western Conference.
But this is how the playoff standings shook out once all was said and done along with what the first-round matchups will look like.
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks (58-24)
2. Boston Celtics (57-25)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
5. New York Knicks (47-35)
6. Brooklyn Nets (45-37)
7. Miami Heat (44-38)
8. Atlanta Hawks (41-41)
9. Toronto Raptors (41-41)
10. Chicago Bulls (40-42)
Here’s the first-round matchups in the Eastern Conference with the Bucks and Celtics having to wait to until middle of the week to find out their opponents due to the play-in tournament.
Play-in: No. 7 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
Play-in: No. 9 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 10 Chicago Bulls
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks
Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets (52-29)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (51-31)
3. Sacramento Kings (48-33)
4. Phoenix Suns (45-37)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (44-38)
6. Golden State Warriors (44-38)
7. Los Angeles Lakers (43-39)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (42-40
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42)
By winning Sunday, the Clippers jumped a spot over the Warriors for No. 5 seed while the Timberwolves, despite Rudy Gobert punching a teammate during a huddle, upended the Pelicans to jump into eighth place.
Play-in: No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves
Play-in: No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
