The matchups for the Play-In Tournament and the 1-6 seed first-round matchups of the 2024 NBA playoffs are set after all teams played their final regular season games on Sunday afternoon.

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, who ran away with the top seed, will play the winner of the matchup between the 7/8 loser and 9/10 winner in the first round. The 76ers (7) face the Heat (8) in the play-in, while the Bulls and Hawks face off in the 9/10 matchup. The New York Knicks, who earned the two-seed, will play whichever team winds up with the seventh seed. The Milwaukee Bucks, who had a disappointing end to the season and are currently without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, face the Indiana Pacers, who are the sixth seed. The 4/5 matchup in the east is the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the Western Conference’s top seed, are waiting for either the New Orleans Pelicans (7), Los Angeles Lakers (8), Sacramento Kings (9), or Golden State Warriors (10). The two-seeded defending champion Denver Nuggets face the winner of the Pelicans/Lakers matchup. The Los Angeles Clippers (4), will face the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, while the Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Phoenix Suns in the 3/6 matchup.

The Bucks won just one-of-five of their regular season matchups with the Pacers this season, their lone victory on Dec. 13, a 140-126 win in which Antetokounmpo erupted for a career-high 64 points. Since firing Adrian Griffin after a 30-13 start, the Bucks went just 17-19 with Doc Rivers at the helm, including consecutive losses to the Thunder (125-107) and Magic (113-88) to end their 49-33 campaign.

The Cavaliers/Magic matchup should be a very competitive one of two teams that flirted with finishing in the top two at different points in the season. The Cavaliers, who ended the season at 48-34, lost just one game between Jan. 3 and Feb. 10, while the Magic started the season 14-5 and won 10 out of 12 games from Feb. 27 to March 31. Both teams split their season series 2-2, with the most convincing result a 126-99 Cavaliers win on Jan. 22. In that game, Donovan Mitchell put up 25 points and 13 assists while Sam Merrill scored 26 off the bench.

The Timberwolves, 56-26 in the regular season with the league’s top defense, lost on Sunday 125-106 to a Suns team that finished the regular season at 49-33. The Suns have the firepower, but at times this season have not looked like a true contender. However, if Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal can get hot, the latter who scored 36 points Sunday and connected on all six of his three-point attempts, they will be tough to beat. Like the Lakers and Clippers, they are a veteran team more built for the postseason.

The Clippers and the Mavericks matchup figures to be fascinating, with no shortage of great players on either side. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving going against the defense of Paul George and offense of James Harden will be must see television. Kawhi Leonard’s status is unknown as he deals with knee inflammation, while Harden missed Sunday with a foot issue. Historically, the Clippers have had difficulty guarding Doncic, and Irving just adds another wrinkle into that equation. Russell Westbrook coming off the bench, or playing big minutes if Harden is still bothered, for the Clippers might be the ex-factor in the series. With Leonard out during last season’s first-round series against the Suns, Westbrook stepped his game up, averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. In a 13-point win over the Suns on April 9, he tallied 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists.

In the Play-In Tournament on the East side, there is a sizeable difference between the 7/8 teams (Sixers, Heat) and 9/10 teams (Bulls, Hawks). Anticipate both the Sixers and Heat to rather easily emerge as the first round matchups for the Celtics and Knicks. The Heat are built for the playoffs, while the 76ers have been rolling since Joel Embiid returned to action (eight consecutive wins).

On the West side, the Lakers might just have the Pelicans’ number. The Lakers took three-out-of-four games from the Pelicans in the regular season, all of which were convincing (133-89, 139–122, and today’s 124-108). New Orleans likely has a better shot at defeating the winner of the Kings and Warriors matchup than they do getting the best of the Lakers. The Pelicans ended the season with four consecutive wins prior to Sunday’s loss, including back-to-back wins over Sacramento (135-123) and Golden State (114-109). Their success will depend a lot on Brandon Ingram, who just returned from injury, making his presence known. Zion Williamson, at times often (and often unfairly) criticized, had one of his best seasons (23.0/5.8/5.0), being the primary playmaker for his team and playing in a career-high 69 games. He will need to, like the rest of the Pelicans, bounce back quickly and shake off Sunday’s loss.

The Kings and Warriors meet in a rematch of last year’s first round tilt, which saw the Warriors come back from 0-2 down to emerge victorious in six games, 4-2. The Kings had a better season last year than they did in 2023-2024, and the Warriors still have the experience on their side. For the Kings, not having sharpshooter Kevin Huerter or Malik Monk hurts them greatly. Monk is one of the league’s best sixth men while Huerter is one of the league’s best shooters. The Warriors very well could get the best of Sacramento again, especially having health on their side. It will be a very competitive game as the Kings look to avenge last spring’s playoff defeat.

The Play-In Tournament, presented by SoFi, begins Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. with the Lakers and Pelicans from Smoothie King Center, followed by the Warriors visiting the Kings. Both games are on TNT. On Wednesday, the Heat visit the 76ers at 7:00 p.m. while the Hawks pay a visit to the United Center at 9:30 p.m. Both of those games are on ESPN.

2023-2024 Eastern Conference Playoff/Play-In Standings

1. Boston Celtics (64-18)

2. New York Knicks (50-32)

3. Milwaukee Bucks (49-33)

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34)

5. Orlando Magic (47-35)

6. Indiana Pacers (47-35)

7. Philadelphia 76ers (47-35)

8. Miami Heat (46-36)

9. Chicago Bulls (39-43)

10. Atlanta Hawks (36-46)

2024 Western Conference Playoff/Play-In Standings

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25)

2. Denver Nuggets (57-25)

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26)

4. Los Angeles Clippers (51-31)

5. Dallas Mavericks (50-32)

6. Phoenix Suns (49-33)

7. New Orleans Pelicans (49-33)

8. Los Angeles Lakers (47-35)

9. Sacramento Kings (46-36)

10. Golden State Warriors (46-36)