The NBA playoffs are finally here. With the play-in tournament set to begin Tuesday night, the real fun is about to begin. The Denver Nuggets appear to be ready to defend their title, while teams like the Celtics, Thunder and Lakers are hoping to put an end to Denver’s reign. Now, let’s take a look at the first-round matchups.
(8) Los Angeles Lakers at (7) New Orleans Pelicans
The NBA playoffs begin Tuesday night with the New Orleans Pelicans playing host to the Los Angeles Lakers. These two teams met on the final day of the regular season, with the Lakers thumping the Pels by 16 points to secure the No. 8 seed — while also costing New Orleans the 6-seed. The Lakers won the regular season series 3-1 and scored 129+ points in all three victories. It will be tough to beat the Pels twice in a row on their home court, but the Lakers have to be feeling pretty good about themselves entering Tuesday. The winner will take on Denver in the first round.
(10) Golden State Warriors at (9) Sacramento Kings
Tuesday’s nightcap is a rematch of last year’s electric first-round matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. Last year, the Warriors won Game 7 in Sacramento to eliminate the young Kings. Once again, the Kings will host an elimination game against the veteran Warriors. There is not much separating the two teams. They split the regular season series two games apiece, and three of the games were decided by one point. Golden State has been the hotter team down the stretch — 8-2 over its last 10 compared to Sacramento’s 4-6 mark — and may have the mental edge considering last year’s results.
(8) Miami Heat at (7) Philadelphia 76ers
Before the season began it would have been hard to imagine these two teams not finishing in the top-6 of the conference. However, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid was limited to 39 games with a knee injury and Miami’s Jimmy Butler missed over 20 games, as well. The teams split four games in the regular season, with the Sixers winning the last two — including the final meeting on April 4. Philadelphia enters the matchup winners of eight games in a row, but Embiid’s health remains an area of concern. The MVP tweaked his knee last week and missed the season finale on Sunday. Embiid is expected to play on Wednesday, but Philadelphia must be concerned by his lingering pain.
(10) Atlanta Hawks at (9) Chicago Bulls
No matter who wins this game, they will be the underdog against the loser of the Miami/Philadelphia battle. Chicago took two-of-three from Atlanta in the regular season and enters the play-in tournament in better form than its opponent. The Bulls went 5-5 down the stretch and finished with an overtime loss to the Knicks, while the Hawks are losers of six in a row and seven-of-nine overall — punctuated by a 42-point loss on Sunday against the Pacers.
(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the final three games of the regular season with a calf strain, and he is doubtful for Game 1 of the opening round against the Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo’s potential absence could be a fatal blow to Milwaukee’s season. The team has struggled with Doc Rivers as coach — 8-12 over the last 20 games — and Indiana owned the Bucks this season. The Pacers went 4-1 against Milwaukee and scored 122+ points in all five games. While the Bucks have home-court advantage, Indiana feels like the pick here.
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Orlando Magic
This is a series that could go either way. The Cavaliers are the higher seed and have postseason experience, but the Magic are playing better basketball entering the playoffs and feel like the smart pick in this matchup. Cleveland was banged up down the stretch and finished the regular season with an 8-13 record. Orlando has a very young roster that is just beginning to scratch the surface of its potential, but it remains to be seen whether the moment will be too big this time around. If Paolo Banchero can be the best player on the floor in this series, Orlando will win.
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) 76ers/Heat/Bulls/Hawks
The Celtics cruised to the NBA’s best record. Boston’s 64 wins were seven more than the next-best teams (OKC, Denver) and 14 more than the 2-seed Knicks. The team will be the favorite against all four of its potential opponents in the first round. With that being said, the C’s would surely prefer either Chicago or Atlanta to knock off the loser of the Sixers/Heat showdown. If Joel Embiid is in the lineup, Philadelphia is capable of beating any team in the East. As for Miami, the Heat have knocked off Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals twice since 2020. In the regular season, Boston went 2-2 against Atlanta, 3-1 against Philadelphia, and 3-0 against both Miami and Chicago.
(2) New York Knicks vs. (7) 76ers/Heat
It has been a tremendous season thus far for the New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson has taken his game to another level for the second year in a row and the addition of OG Anunoby has been massive for the team. Julius Randle’s absence will rob fans of seeing the Knicks at their best, but this team is still capable of making a run through the East playoffs. Their first-round matchup won’t be ideal no matter who wins Wednesday’s play-in game, although New York may prefer playing Philadelphia if Joel Embiid isn’t close to 100-percent. The Knicks went 3-1 in the regular season with all three victories coming by 14+ points. New York took two-of-three from the Heat, but Miami is the team that knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs last year. Would the Heat have a mental edge in a rematch?
(3) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (6) Phoenix Suns
If Minnesota beat Phoenix on Sunday, it would be playing host to the New Orleans Pelicans. Instead, the Wolves lost by 19 at home and will now face a Kevin Durant-led squad that will be brimming with confidence. The Wolves have been one of the league’s best teams all season, but they went 0-3 against the Suns — with all three losses coming by double-digits. Minnesota has an elite defense and a top offense — and it should feel good about its chances despite Phoenix’s success in the regular season. The Suns will need Durant and Devin Booker to be at their best to knock off the Wolves, but it’s hard to go against them given their current form.
(4) LA Clippers vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks
The Clippers don’t enjoy playing against Luka Doncic. Although LA has knocked Dallas out of the playoffs twice since 2020, Doncic consistently torches the Clippers. Center Ivica Zubac was a non-factor in the 2021 series due to Doncic’s ability to force switches defensively. Down the stretch, Dallas’ defense was amongst the best units in the league — a shocking turn for a team that features Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Before resting the two stars over the final two games of the season, Dallas went on a 16-2 tear. As for the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard missed the final eight games of the regular season with a knee injury and his status for the first round remains a huge question mark.
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Pelicans/Lakers/Kings/Warriors
Oklahoma City surpassed all expectations this season. While many expected the Thunder to be a competitive team, few people believed OKC would finish with the best record in the Western Conference. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder won 57 games and outscored their opponents by 7.4 PPG. Looking at OKC’s four potential opponents, the Thunder went 2-2 against the Kings, 2-1 against the Pelicans, and 3-1 against the Warriors — but finished 1-3 against the Lakers. OKC may be rooting for LeBron James to take care of business Tuesday night against New Orleans.
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) Pelicans/Lakers
The defending champions had the inside track to securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference…and then they blew a 20-point lead to the San Antonio Spurs. Denver climbed the 2-seed on the final day of the regular season, and it now is staring at a potential Western Conference Finals rematch against the Lakers. The Nuggets went 2-1 against New Orleans this year and won all three games against the rival Lakers. Including last year’s sweep, the Nuggets have won eight in a row over Los Angeles. They won’t fear either team, but New Orleans is the better option regardless of Denver’s dominance over Los Angeles as of late.