As we start to wind down toward the end of the NBA’s regular season, it’s time for sports betting enthusiasts to take a closer look at the playoff races. Remember, the top ten teams in each conference all have a shot at the postseason, with the seventh through tenth place teams taking part in a play-in tournament.
Let’s take a look at the updated NBA standings, along with thoughts about last night’s action.
NBA News: Playoff Update
Here are the teams ranked 1-12 in the East, with wins, losses, games remaining and games out of first.
| Place | Team | W | L | GR | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia* | 45 | 21 | 6 | – |
| 2 | Brooklyn* | 43 | 23 | 6 | 2 |
| 3 | Milwaukee** | 42 | 24 | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | New York | 37 | 29 | 6 | 8 |
| 5 | Atlanta | 37 | 30 | 5 | 8 ½ |
| 6 | Boston | 35 | 31 | 6 | 10 |
| 7 | Miami | 35 | 31 | 6 | 10 |
| 8 | Charlotte | 32 | 33 | 7 | 12 ½ |
| 9 | Indiana | 30 | 35 | 7 | 14 ½ |
| 10 | Washington | 30 | 36 | 6 | 15 |
| 11 | Toronto | 27 | 39 | 6 | 18 |
| 12 | Chicago | 26 | 39 | 7 | 18 ½ |
* clinched playoff spot
** clinched division title
Now let’s look at the West:
| Place | Team | W | L | GR | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah* | 48 | 18 | 6 | – |
| 2 | Phoenix* | 47 | 19 | 6 | 1 |
| 3 | Denver* | 44 | 22 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | L.A. Clippers* | 44 | 22 | 6 | 4 |
| 5 | Dallas | 37 | 28 | 7 | 10 ½ |
| 6 | L.A. Lakers | 37 | 28 | 7 | 10 ½ |
| 7 | Portland | 37 | 29 | 6 | 11 |
| 8 | Memphis | 33 | 32 | 7 | 14 ½ |
| 9 | Golden State | 33 | 33 | 6 | 15 |
| 10 | San Antonio | 31 | 34 | 7 | 15 ½ |
| 11 | New Orleans | 30 | 36 | 6 | 18 |
| 12 | Sacramento | 29 | 37 | 6 | 19 |
On Wednesday, Milwaukee edged Washington at home, 135-134, one night after knocking off Brooklyn. It would have been easy for the Bucks to let their slow start doom them against the Wizards. Washington had an eight-point lead after the first quarter, but Milwaukee came back to tie the game at halftime and then led by eight heading into the fourth quarter, before withstanding a furious Wizards rally. Russell Westbrook had yet another triple-double, and Bradley Beal had 42 points, but the Bucks got 29 from Jrue Holiday and 23 from Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with five other players in double figures, to get the win in a track meet. Milwaukee is pushing hard to win the East but needs help.
Atlanta buried Phoenix at home on Wednesday, 135-103. That loss knocked the Suns out of first place in the West, as the Hawks had seven scorers hit double figures, led by 18 points from center Clint Capela. Devin Booker put up 30 for the visitors, but that wasn’t close to enough. That ended Phoenix’s five-game winning streak, and as Utah beat San Antonio, giving the Spurs a fifth straight loss, the Suns would now move to the other side of the West bracket. Phoenix was out of gas a night after beating Cleveland by 16 points in overtime, as Atlanta outscored the Suns, 38-15, in the fourth quarter. The Suns need to bounce back in order to get back ahead of Utah down the stretch.
Denver got their tenth win in their last 12 games, beating New York, 113-97, at home on Wednesday. The Nuggets led by as many as 31 points in this game and are now even with the Clippers in third place in the West. Austin Rivers, whom the Nuggets signed to a 10-day contract after Jamal Murray went down for the season, had 25 points, 11 in the fourth quarter. Michael Porter Jr chipped in 17, and Facu Campazzo put up 16 points and nine boards. The Knicks came out slow, committing three fouls in the first 22 seconds of the first quarter, and they were doubled up in points by Nikola Jokic alone in that quarter (24-12). New York had won 12 of their last 13 before this debacle.
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