The 2024 NBA playoffs will soon be here and teams are beginning to book their postseason spots before the regular season ends on April 14.
The top six teams from each conference will be assured playoff spots, while team Nos. 7-10 in the standings will enter the play-in tournament (April 16-19). Two teams in each conference will then emerge to fill out the eight-team field, with the first round of the playoffs starting on April 20.
Get the updates ahead of the playoffs here as the road to the NBA Finals kicks into full gear.
MORE: Conference standings | Latest power rankings
What they’ve clinched: At least a play-off spot
Boston became the first team to clinch a postseason spot in 2024. Even if the Celtics were to lose every remaining game in the regular season, they’d be guaranteed at least the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Celtics have made the playoffs the previous nine seasons, losing to the Miami Heat in the conference finals last season. The last time they were the top overall seed in the East was after the 2016-17 season, where they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals.
What they’ve clinched: At least a play-in spot
Milwaukee have clinched at least an Eastern Conference play-in tournament spot even if they were to lose all their remaining regular season games.
The Bucks have made the playoffs the previous seven seasons. They were the top seed last year but suffered a first-round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat. In 2022, they were also the top seed in the East, but lost to the Boston Celtics in the conference finals.
Source: www.espn.com