The 2019-20 NBA season is about to resume, with the 22 teams that were invited to the “bubble” in Orlando set to play eight seeding games to sort out the playoff bracket. Below you can see the standings in the two conferences; the 22 teams consisted of the top eight teams in each conference plus any teams within four games of the ninth seed. The top six teams in each conference have already clinched playoff spots, according to the postseason rules, but the seeds can still change over the last eight games. If the ninth seed ends up within a couple games of the eighth seed, they would play a best-of-three series, with the eighth seed entering with a 1-0 lead in the series. If you’re planning on including the NBA betting, take a look at some of our thoughts about the Eastern Conference teams.
NBA News: 2020 Betting Predictions for the Eastern Conference
Western Conference |
||
| Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | L.A. Lakers* | 49-14 |
| 2 | L.A. Clippers* | 44-20 |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets* | 43-22 |
| 4 | Utah Jazz* | 41-23 |
| 5 | OKC Thunder* | 40-24 |
| 6 | Houston Rockets* | 40-24 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 40-27 |
| 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 32-33 |
| 9 | Portland Trail Blazers | 29-37 |
| 10 | New Orleans Pelicans | 28-36 |
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | 27-36 |
| 12 | San Antonio Spurs | 27-36 |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | 26-39 |
Eastern Conference |
||
| Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks* | 53-12 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors* | 46-18 |
| 3 | Boston Celtics* | 43-21 |
| 4 | Miami Heat* | 41-24 |
| 5 | Indiana Pacers* | 39-26 |
| 6 | Philadelphia 76ers* | 39-26 |
| 7 | Brooklyn Nets | 30-34 |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 30-35 |
| 9 | Washington Wizards | 24-40 |
* clinched playoff spots, seeding subject to play
Milwaukee is the favorite to advance to the Finals, and with good reason
Milwaukee has the best defense, in terms of points permitted, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely to repeat as league MVP. They lead Toronto by 6 ½ games, so it is virtually impossible to envision them dropping out of the top seed over the last eight games. Both Giannis and Khris Middleton have had a chance to heal from the injuries that had slowed them when the league shut down. Will coach Mike Budenholzer, who does not like to change strategy, be more flexible in the postseason this year? This could mean that he needs to play his stars more of the game, even though he argued that, when Toronto eliminated the Bucks in six last year, he hadn’t left Giannis on the bench too long. However, Toronto no longer has Kawhi Leonard, which means that Milwaukee’s path to the Finals should be clearer than it was in 2018-19. With that said…
Milwaukee Bucks | Check the Odds
Watch out for the 76ers
Philadelphia had an immense divide between their home and away records. If it had not been for their outstanding play at Wells Fargo Center, it’s not likely that they would have been invited to the bubble. Can they play well at a neutral site? That remains to be seen, but moving Shake Milton into the starting lineup solves a problem that they faced before the shutdown — a dormant offense. Ben Simmons is an elite defender, but he is not a scorer, no matter how much he works on his jumper. Moving him to small forward and starting Milton at the point adds offense that the Sixers needed. Against Milwaukee, Philadelphia got an elite defending job out of Joel Embiid on Giannis. Can he do that over a long series? That’s hard to argue, but the Sixers could slide Al Horford over onto him too. Teams have learned to just clog the middle and make Giannis beat them with his shots. If there is a team in the East that can jam up the Bucks, it is Philadelphia.
Philadelphia 76ers | Check the Odds
Boston does have one of the easier bubble schedules of the Eastern Conference teams. Their toughest game will be a matchup with Toronto on August 7. The Celtics don’t have one big star, per se, but they have overall depth, and they have the shooting to loosen up defenses. According to FiveThirtyEight.com, they have the sixth-best full-strength rating and the sixth best playoff-roster rating. The Celtics also won’t have to play any true “road” games, facing opposing fans. This means that teams who don’t have “home” court advantage in the conference semifinals and finals will have a lot less of a disadvantage, because the teams are just simply changing jersey colors instead of traveling and facing raucous crowds.
Boston Celtics | Check the Odds
