With only a few days left in the NBA regular season, the race to the 2024 NBA Playoffs is heating up. The Phoenix Suns got a huge boost on their campaign for the top six spot in the Western Conference, after beating the LA Clippers on Wednesday. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and co. overpowered the LA Clippers team that chose to rest their stars within a half-game against the New Orleans Pelicans for the sixth spot in the West Conference.
The Pelicans have an extra game left to play on Thursday and NBA enthusiasts can use their sportsbook bonus to wager on the match. However, New Orleans might have a hard time winning the game against the Sacramento Kings as the game has a huge impact on the playing positions.
The Easter Conference playing campaign looks as complex as the West Conference since the teams ahead of the in-play spots continue losing like the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Here’s an updated look at the NBA standings ahead of the Thursday fixtures:
Eastern Conference
- Boston Celtics (62-17)
- Milwaukee Bucks (49-31)
- New York Knicks (47-32)
- Orlando Magic (46-33)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (46-33)
- Indiana Pacers (46-34)
Play-in Race
- Philadelphia 76ers (45-35)
- Miami Pacers (44-36)
- Chicago Bulls (37-42)
- Atlanta Hawks (36-44)
The race for the fourth to seventh spots in the Eastern Conference could go in different directions looking at the current standings. Orlando’s loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday opened a possibility for them to fall from the highly contested top six. Orlando will head to Philadelphia to face the 76ers on Friday, before finishing the season with the Bucks on Sunday.
Three straight losses at the end of their regular season would see the Magic drop to seventh place, although the Bucks have already clinched the playoff berth. As such, Milwaukee might choose to rest some of their star players on Sunday.
On the other hand, Indiana and Cleveland will face each other on Friday, but it’s hard for the Cavaliers to drop below the No. 5 seed since it will finish the regular season against the Hornets. Philadelphia might also beat the Magic and the Nets to confirm the No. 7 seed and earn hosting privileges throughout the in-play round.
Western Conference
- Denver Nuggets (56-24)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (55-25)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (55-25)
- LA Clippers (51-29)
- Dallas Mavericks (50-30)
- New Orleans Pelicans (47-32)
Play-in Race
- Phoenix Suns (47-33)
- Sacramento (45-34)
- Los Angeles Lakers (45-35)
- Golden State Warriors (44-35)
The Phoenix Suns’ win over the Los Angeles Clippers put pressure on New Orleans to come from Sacramento with a win to stay a game ahead before the Friday meetup. Phoenix ended their two-game losing run, although their win shouldn’t be celebrated too much since the Clippers decided to rest their starters.
New Orleans has won all their three matches against Sacramento this season and a season sweep will put them a game ahead of the Phoenix Suns before their Friday match on the road against Golden State. That said, the Golden State Warriors need to move hand-in-hand with the Los Angeles Lakers through a Thursday win over the Trailblazers.
