Every NBA playoff seeding, tiebreaker scenario: Lakers heading to play-in tournament; Nets clinch No. 2 seed
All 30 teams are in action with playoff seeding on the line. Here's your cheat sheet to keep up with Sunday's madness
By
Brad Botkin
•
1 min read
The NBA's shortened 2020-21 regular season comes to an end on Sunday, and there are still a plethora of ways this could all shake out. A few teams are playing to win. More than a few teams could be playing to lose. No matter what teams say publicly, they all have preferred matchups. Below is how everything shook out following all of Sunday's action.
Western Conference
No. 1 seed
- Utah Jazz have clinched the No. 1 seed
No. 2 seed
- Phoenix Suns have clinched the No. 2 seed
No. 3 seed
- Denver Nuggets have clinched the No. 3 seed
No. 4 seed
- Los Angeles Clippers have clinched the No. 4 seed
No. 5 seed
- Dallas Mavericks have clinched the No. 5 seed
No. 6 seed
- Portland Trail Blazers have clinched the No. 6 seed
No. 7 seed
- Los Angeles Lakers have clinched the No. 7 seed
No. 8 seed
- Golden State Warriors are locked into the No. 8 seed
No. 9 seed
- Memphis Grizzlies are locked into the No. 9 seed
No. 10 seed
- San Antonio Spurs are locked into the No. 10 seed
Eastern Conference
No. 1 seed
- Philadelphia 76ers have clinched No. 1 seed
No. 2 seed
- Brooklyn Nets are locked into the No. 2 seed
No. 3 seed
- Milwaukee Bucks are locked into the No. 3 seed
No. 4 seed
- New York Knicks are locked into the No. 4 seed
No. 5 seed
- Atlanta Hawks are locked into the No. 5 seed
No. 6 seed
- Miami Heat are locked into the No. 6 seed
No. 7 seed
- Boston Celtics are locked into the No. 7 seed
No. 8 seed
- Washington Wizards are locked into the No. 8 seed
No. 9 seed
- Indiana Pacers are locked into the No. 9 seed
No. 10 seed
- Charlotte Hornets are locked into the No. 10 seed
Tiebreaker rules explained
The NBA's tiebreaker rules at the most basic level are pretty easy to understand. In a scenario where two teams finish the regular season with the same record, the team with the better winning percentage in those head-to-head matchups earns the tiebreaker. In situations where there are three or more teams that finish tied with the same record at the end of the season, things get a little more complicated. In those instances, any team that also happens to be a division winner would earn the tiebreaker and go on to be the highest seeded team of the bunch. After that, the team with the better winning percentage in all games among the tied teams would earn the tiebreaker.
