With Sunday’s finale of the NBA regular season, the league’s playoff picture is becoming clearer and clearer.
Fans will be treated to multiple first-round series featuring division rivals, and compelling storylines can be found from the play-in tournament to the one seeds.
Let’s take a look at the known upcoming playoff matchups, starting with the Eastern Conference:
(4) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors
With the Boston Celtics defeating the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night, they claim the conference’s No. 2 seed, which means the Raptors will face division rival 76ers for the third time in the post-season.
The last time these two teams matched up in the playoffs, former Raptor Kawhi Leonard hit a buzzer-beating mid-range shot in game 7 to send Toronto to the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals.
The Raptors hold a 3-1 record against the 76ers this season, winning their most recent match up on Apr. 7 in a 119-114 victory.
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(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Chicago Bulls
(2) Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets/Cleveland Cavaliers
(1) Miami Heat vs. TBD
And now moving to the Western Conference, there is still much to be determined. What we do know are the teams who will compete, and the top two seeds:
(1) Phoenix Suns
(2) Memphis Grizzlies
Other seeds: Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets
Although the overall playoff picture is becoming clearer, not all first-round matchups can be determined without the completion of the league’s play-in tournament. Here is how the competition will stack up in the East:
(8) Cleveland Cavaliers at (7) Brooklyn Nets – Apr. 12 at 7 p.m. ET.
(10) Charlotte Hornets at (9) Atlanta Hawks – Apr. 13 at 7 p.m. ET.
And in the West:
(8) Los Angeles Clippers at (7) Minnesota Timberwolves – Apr 12 at 9:30 ET.
(10) San Antonio Spurs at (9) New Orleans Pelicans – Apr. 13 at 9:30 ET.
