The 2021-22 NBA regular season has come and gone, and there was plenty of positioning still to be determined on the final day. Now the entire playoff field and matchups are locked in, which sets the stage for one of the most wide-open postseasons we’ve seen in recent NBA history.
In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors maintained the No. 3 seed with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Utah Jazz held onto the No. 5 seed by defeating the lowly Portland Trail Blazers. That means that the Dallas Mavericks will stay at No. 4, while the Denver Nuggets will enter the playoffs at No. 6.
Over in the East, the Boston Celtics locked up the East’s No. 2 seed with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Down further in the standings, the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers both won their games Sunday, giving the Nets the top spot in the play-in round as the two teams were tied for seventh entering Sunday’s action. In the other East play-in, it will be the Atlanta Hawks (9) vs. the Charlotte Hornets (10) after the Hawks prevailed against the Houston Rockets. Below is a look at the play-in tournament matchups:
East: 7 vs. 8 | Brooklyn Nets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers |
East: 9 vs. 10 | Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets |
West: 7 vs. 8 | Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Clippers |
West: 9 vs. 10 | New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs |
Eastern Conference playoff matchups
- No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 seed
- No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 seed
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Chicago Bulls
- No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors
Western Conference playoff matchups
- No. 1 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 8 seed
- No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 seed
- No. 3 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 6 Denver Nuggets
- No. 4 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz
Below is a recap of our live updates throughout Sunday’s games.