The road to the NBA Finals now passes through Milwaukee. The Western Conference exit goes through Denver, for the very first time.
And the rest of the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff draw is set as well.
The Bucks will have the No. 1 seed overall and home-court advantage their entire time in the NBA playoffs, after beating Chicago 105-92 on Wednesday night. Milwaukee is 58-22 this season; no other team can get more than 57 wins.
“It’s just a credit to the players,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “The players have really stepped up. I think they rose to the challenge. Night after night in this league is tough. There is great opposition. … Having the best record is something that matters. It is important. »
The No. 1 seed in the West was also decided on Wednesday night. The Nuggets will have home court throughout the Western playoffs, after New Orleans beat Memphis in overtime – and took away the last hope the Grizzlies had of nabbing the Nuggets for first place in the Premier League. ‘West.
The Bucks are a No. 1 seed for the first time since 2020. Denver has never been a No. 1 seed before.
Boston (55-25) will be the No. 2 seed in the East, winning this Wednesday beating Toronto. That locked Philadelphia (52-27) in the No. 3 seed and a likely first-round clash with Brooklyn. The Nets (44-36) have beaten Detroit and now only need a win or loss at Miami to wrap up the No. 6 seed.
Another Eastern Conference first-round game was set up earlier this week; No. 4 Cleveland will meet No. 5 New York. They will meet on April 15 or 16 for Game 1, with the NBA playoffs opening this weekend.
The order of teams for the qualifying tournament, which begins on Tuesday, is still unclear in the East.
Miami is the leader and currently seventh, ahead of the other three play-in ties – Atlanta, Toronto and Chicago. The winner of Game No. 7 vs. No. 8 on Tuesday (as it stands, the game there would be Atlanta at Miami) will draw Boston in the first round; the other team coming out of the Eastern play-in tournament will open against the top-seeded Bucks.
Landing a seed now gives some teams the chance to rest players before the playoffs begin, and in many cases that seems welcome. The Bucks won without Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday and with Khris Middleton – who has struggled with injuries for much of the season – sidelined after eight minutes with a recurrence of knee pain.
“Now we can breathe,” Budenholzer said. “I have no idea what we will do on Friday and Sunday. »
Chicago will be on the road to open the play-in tournament; the Bulls are locked in No. 10 in the East and will visit whichever team finishes ninth – Toronto or Atlanta.
And when the playoffs begin for the Bucks, they’ll be trying to defy some recent trends. There hasn’t been a No. 1 seed to win the East title since Cleveland in 2016, and no team with the best regular-season record has won the NBA Finals since Golden State in 2016. 2017.
“I think we’re ready, well prepared,” Bucks guard Jrue Holiday said. “I think we’ve been through a lot… really excited to get into the playoffs. »
WHAT’S LEFT
Most of the drama remains in the West, where Denver, Memphis, Sacramento and Phoenix have clinched playoff spots — and eight teams are still in contention for the remaining six playoff or play-in spots.
Defending champion Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans and Minnesota can’t do worse than making it to the qualifying tournament. Oklahoma City, Dallas and Utah are all in the running for play spots.
For now, Golden State and the Clippers – both 42-38 – would be in the playoffs, while the Lakers, Pelicans, Timberwolves and Thunder would have the playing spots. The Clippers beat the Lakers (41-39) on Wednesday evening.
Dallas helped itself on Wednesday by beating Sacramento 123-119. The Mavericks (38-42) remained 11th, but are tied with No. 10 Oklahoma City, both teams with two games remaining. Oklahoma City visits Utah on Thursday, Dallas hosts Chicago on Friday, then Sunday the Thunder host Memphis while the Mavs entertain San Antonio.
“At this point in the season, that’s what it is in terms of the reality of the standings,” Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said. “We just have to take a minute at a time. »
New Orleans’ victory secured the Pelicans nothing worse than a game berth.
“Is it crazy or what? Pelicans broadcaster Joel Meyers reflected on New Orleans’ overtime win.
Out West, expect the crazies to continue throughout the regular season finale on Sunday.
