As the thrilling, tightly-contested 2023-24 regular season comes to a close, there are still several important seeding battles that need to be decided. The Western Conference's first-seed is still up for grabs, seven Eastern Conference teams are still jostling for various playoff spots, and the rest of the West still needs figuring out. With the league treating NBA fans to an incredible final week, there are so many important matchups and nearly every game matters. Here are the five most important contests. All season long, the Western Conference's one-seed has been a hotly-contested battle between three or four teams, with the bowing out down the stretch. The , , and have been separated by around one game for months now, and none of these teams have given any ground with a week left. As it stands on April 8th, Minnesota and Denver are tied at 54-24, with OKC just one game back at 53-25. The defending champion Nuggets have not experienced the typical malaise that follows a title season, while Minnesota has done a remarkable
Job staying afloat without Karl-Anthony Towns by boasting a 10-5 record since his injury. Minnesota will hold the tiebreaker over Denver regardless of Wednesday's result because of their division-record, meaning the Nuggets have to win one more game than the Wolves over the final four games. Minnesota will also take the tiebreaker over the Thunder, meaning OKC needs to win two extra games over the final four. With games left against the , , and , this could be a tall task for the Thunder. With the tiebreaker advantages Minnesota has and home games vs. the and coming up, Denver would be all but eliminated from the race for the No. 1 seed if they lose this game. Race for the West's 1-seed (4 games remaining) 54-24 Over Both 18th Hardest 54-24 - 6th Easiest 53-25 Over DEN 14th Hardest None of these teams can pick their playoff path even if they get the one seed, as there are too many moving parts and the play-in tournament shuffles the bracket. However, both squads would love to have home-court throughout the entire Western Conference. The Eastern Conference has had an incredibly tight season, resulting in a situation where seeds two through eight are up for grabs by several teams. Currently, the Bucks, , , and are within a game and a half of each other with four games left. These two teams having two games left against each other will have a huge effect on the seeding race, because every team chasing the Bucks and Magic is guaranteed to move up on one of them with a win. No matter which way these matchups break, the Knicks, Cavaliers, and have a clear pathway to passing at least one team if they take care of business. Eastern Conference Madness 47-31 Over NYK Hardest 46-32 (1 GB) Over NYK, CLE 6th Hardest 46-32 (1GB) Over CLE 8th Hardest 46-33 (1.5 GB) Over MIL, IND 3rd Easiest 45-34 (2.5 GB) Over NYK, MIL 8th Easiest of , after Doc Rivers said Milwaukee will "limit his minutes" over the final week of the campaign. The Bucks have lost four straight games, while Orlando has won four of five. After a two-month stretch where the have played to one of the best records in the entire NBA, they have positioned themselves to possibly escape the nine vs. ten play-in tournament game. This would completely shift their odds to make a deep playoff run, simply because of the decreased chances of winning two straight single-game events to escape the play-in.
Los Angeles will hold the tiebreaker if they win in New Orleans because they took two of the three previous matchups, meaning LA will just need to be one game back of the Pelicans going into Sunday. Essentially, they have to make up one loss to the Pelicans over their next two games, while New Orleans plays three more before Sunday. This game could end up not mattering if either team falls apart or if Sacramento or hits a skid, but it is more than likely that it will decide which team participates in the double play-in.
LeBron James vs. Zion Williamson 28.6 25.9 7.4 6.4 9.7 4.0 55.7% 58.4% 6-1 1-6 Once billed as a generational matchup and a passing of the torch between king and protégé, health concerns for have robbed NBA fans of meaningful
basketball with the two players, and thriving. Sunday's matchup should be incredible. As the season winds down, it looks like both the Kings and Pelicans will end up lower in the standings than they had hoped. Both teams have had relatively disappointing seasons when considering Sacramento's incredible 2023 season and how dominant New Orleans has looked at times. Health has not been a problem for either of these squads, but a stacked Western Conference has resulted in a final week when they are battling to escape the play-in tournament. New Orleans is a game ahead and holds the tiebreaker after demolishing the Kings all four times this season, but Sacramento would just have to outplay them by a game if they are able to steal Thursday's matchup. Pelicans' Dominant Sweep of Kings (4-0) Category Stat PPG 126.5 Opp PPG 105.5 NRTG +20 This game could also have ripple effects across the bottom of the Western Conference, as it could affect the fortunes of Phoenix and Los Angeles as well. An injury update worth monitoring is the availability of , who is unlikely to play but should be back in time for the playoffs. Avoiding the play-in tournament entirely would be ideal for Ingram's health as he tries to return. The last game on the carousel of Western teams battling to escape the play-in tournament is the Sacramento Kings hosting the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have experienced a season even more disappointing than the Kings or Pelicans, but this has been mostly due to injuries and a lack of continuity. Their Big 3 of , , and have played in fewer than half of their games, and . However, whatever the reason, these teams are stuck in a spot where they could escape the play-in entirely but also fall all the way to the unenviable ninth seed. This game is a huge opportunity for Sacramento, as they can capture the tiebreaker and also gain a game on the Suns, meaning they would just have to play even with Phoenix over the final three games. Race to Escape the West Play-In 46-32 Vs. LAC, @LAC, @SAC, @MIN 46-32 @POR, @SAC, @GS, vs. LAL 45-33 (1 GB) @OKC, vs. NO, vs. PHO, vs. POR 45-34 (1.5 GB) Vs. GS, @MEM, @NO Phoenix has an absolute gauntlet to play through over the final week, giving every team behind them an opportunity to pass them for the coveted sixth-seed.