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The NBA playoffs are approaching for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite a disastrous start to the season and a year full of ups and downs, a franchise-altering trade, a major injury to one of its star players and a lengthy suspension to one of its core players, the Bucks (40-32) are still squarely in the playoff picture.
However, after losing four of their last six games, the Bucks have fallen in the Eastern Conference standings in the last two weeks. And now with just 10 games to play, the Bucks are seeded sixth, dropping below both the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. A No. 6 seed would be the Bucks' worst position in the playoffs since the 2017-18 season when they were the seventh seed. The Bucks have been no lower than third in any season since then.
Milwaukee looks to regroup Friday night when it begins a three-game homestand starting with the New York Knicks following a five-game West Coast road trip in which it went 2-3.
If the playoffs began March 28, the Bucks and Knicks would meet in a first-round playoff series. The Bucks have been thorougly dominated by the Knicks in their first two games this season. New York beat the Bucks, 116-94, early in the season on Nov. 8 and then crushed them again 140-106 on Jan. 12. No matter who the Bucks play in the playoffs it appears that they'll have to do it without All-Star Damian Lillard, who is out indefinitely as he treats blood clots in his right calf.
Here's everything you need to know about the Bucks as they head toward the playoffs:
Milwaukee brings a 40-32 record into its game against the New York Knicks. The Bucks began the year 2-8 before recovering and rising in the standings and even won the NBA's in-season tournament. But they've battled inconsistency with head-scratching losses to the likes of the Brooklyn Nets three times, Chicago Bulls twice, Portland Trailblazers twice and Charlotte Hornets. And most telling about where they are as a franchise is that have yet to beat any of the Eastern Conference powers, going 0-9 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Knicks.
The Bucks have been playing without Bobby Portis since late February as he serves a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy and more recently it lost All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who is out indefinitely with blood clots in his right calf.
The Bucks' roster saw significant changes as well this season. They departed with all-time great Khris Middleton and brought in Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards and Kevin Porter Jr. from the Los Angeles Clippers in separate trades.
Here are the standings for the Eastern and Western conferences as of March 28. The top six are playoff teams, while teams 7-10 compete in a play-in tournament to earn the seventh and eighth seeds.
Eastern Conference
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7. Atlanta Hawks: 35-38
8. Orlando Magic: 35-39
9. Chicago Bulls: 33-40
10. Miami Heat: 32-41
11. Toronto Raptors: 26-47
12. Philadelphia 76ers: 23-50
The Brooklyn Nets (23-50), Charlotte Hornets (18-54) and Washington Wizards (16-57) have been eliminated from playoff contention
Western Conference
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7. Golden State Warriors: 41-31
8. Minnesota Timberwolves: 41-32
9. Sacramento Kings: 36-37
10. Dallas Mavericks: 36-38
11. Phoenix Suns: 35-38
12. Portland Trailblazers: 32-42
13. San Antonio Spurs: 31-41
The New Orleans Pelicans (20-53) and Utah Jazz (16-58) have been eliminated from postseason contention.
The Bucks are in the sixth seed entering games March 28 and have fallen two spots in less than two weeks. Here are the current playoff matchups. The top three seeds in the East have remain unchanged for much of the season, while the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, easily cruised to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for a second straight year.
Eastern Conference
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 play-in winner
(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Detroit Pistons
(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks
(2) Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 play-in winner
Western Conference
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 play-in winner
(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers
(2) Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 play-in winner
Play-in tournament games begin Tuesday, April 15, and go through Friday, April 18. The team in the seventh spot at the end of the regular season plays the team with the eighth best record. The winner earns the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Teams No. 9 and No. 10 play each other with the loser being eliminated. The winner of that game plays the loser of the No. 7-8 game with the winner getting the No. 8 seed into the playoffs.
After the play-in games are finalized, the NBA playoffs officially begin on Saturday, April 19, with some series getting underway on Sunday, April 20. All rounds are best-of-seven series.
The Bucks have fallen behind the Pacers and Pistons in the Eastern Conference standings. But the Bucks have the tiebreaker over the Pacers thanks to winning three of the four games against Indiana this season. However, they'll have to make up two games to get tied with their Central Division rivals for the tiebreaker to matter. The Bucks are 2-0 against the Pistons this season and conclude the regular season with two games in three days vs. Detroit. Those could be big in determining playoff seeds.
The Bucks have 10 games remaining left on their schedule beginning with Friday's showdown against the Knicks. It's the start of a three-game homestand before heading out for a three-game road trip. The Bucks' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 6 is a makeup contest.
Here's a look at the Bucks' schedule for the rest of the season (all times are CT):
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NBA standings: Playoff picture, bracket, play-in tournament dates
Continue reading...
Despite a disastrous start to the season and a year full of ups and downs, a franchise-altering trade, a major injury to one of its star players and a lengthy suspension to one of its core players, the Bucks (40-32) are still squarely in the playoff picture.
However, after losing four of their last six games, the Bucks have fallen in the Eastern Conference standings in the last two weeks. And now with just 10 games to play, the Bucks are seeded sixth, dropping below both the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. A No. 6 seed would be the Bucks' worst position in the playoffs since the 2017-18 season when they were the seventh seed. The Bucks have been no lower than third in any season since then.
Milwaukee looks to regroup Friday night when it begins a three-game homestand starting with the New York Knicks following a five-game West Coast road trip in which it went 2-3.
If the playoffs began March 28, the Bucks and Knicks would meet in a first-round playoff series. The Bucks have been thorougly dominated by the Knicks in their first two games this season. New York beat the Bucks, 116-94, early in the season on Nov. 8 and then crushed them again 140-106 on Jan. 12. No matter who the Bucks play in the playoffs it appears that they'll have to do it without All-Star Damian Lillard, who is out indefinitely as he treats blood clots in his right calf.
Here's everything you need to know about the Bucks as they head toward the playoffs:
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Milwaukee Bucks record
Milwaukee brings a 40-32 record into its game against the New York Knicks. The Bucks began the year 2-8 before recovering and rising in the standings and even won the NBA's in-season tournament. But they've battled inconsistency with head-scratching losses to the likes of the Brooklyn Nets three times, Chicago Bulls twice, Portland Trailblazers twice and Charlotte Hornets. And most telling about where they are as a franchise is that have yet to beat any of the Eastern Conference powers, going 0-9 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Knicks.
The Bucks have been playing without Bobby Portis since late February as he serves a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy and more recently it lost All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who is out indefinitely with blood clots in his right calf.
The Bucks' roster saw significant changes as well this season. They departed with all-time great Khris Middleton and brought in Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards and Kevin Porter Jr. from the Los Angeles Clippers in separate trades.
NBA standings
Here are the standings for the Eastern and Western conferences as of March 28. The top six are playoff teams, while teams 7-10 compete in a play-in tournament to earn the seventh and eighth seeds.
Eastern Conference
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 59-14
- Boston Celtics: 54-19
- New York Knicks: 45-27
- Indiana Pacers: 43-30
- Detroit Pistons: 41-32
- Milwaukee Bucks: 40-32
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7. Atlanta Hawks: 35-38
8. Orlando Magic: 35-39
9. Chicago Bulls: 33-40
10. Miami Heat: 32-41
11. Toronto Raptors: 26-47
12. Philadelphia 76ers: 23-50
The Brooklyn Nets (23-50), Charlotte Hornets (18-54) and Washington Wizards (16-57) have been eliminated from playoff contention
Western Conference
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 61-12
- Houston Rockets: 48-26
- Denver Nuggets: 46-28
- Los Angeles Lakers: 44-29
- Memphis Grizzlies: 44-29
- Los Angeles Clippers: 41-31
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7. Golden State Warriors: 41-31
8. Minnesota Timberwolves: 41-32
9. Sacramento Kings: 36-37
10. Dallas Mavericks: 36-38
11. Phoenix Suns: 35-38
12. Portland Trailblazers: 32-42
13. San Antonio Spurs: 31-41
The New Orleans Pelicans (20-53) and Utah Jazz (16-58) have been eliminated from postseason contention.
NBA playoff picture, bracket
The Bucks are in the sixth seed entering games March 28 and have fallen two spots in less than two weeks. Here are the current playoff matchups. The top three seeds in the East have remain unchanged for much of the season, while the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, easily cruised to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for a second straight year.
Eastern Conference
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 play-in winner
(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Detroit Pistons
(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks
(2) Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 play-in winner
Western Conference
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 play-in winner
(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers
(2) Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 play-in winner
When is the NBA play-in tournament?
Play-in tournament games begin Tuesday, April 15, and go through Friday, April 18. The team in the seventh spot at the end of the regular season plays the team with the eighth best record. The winner earns the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Teams No. 9 and No. 10 play each other with the loser being eliminated. The winner of that game plays the loser of the No. 7-8 game with the winner getting the No. 8 seed into the playoffs.
When do the NBA playoffs begin?
After the play-in games are finalized, the NBA playoffs officially begin on Saturday, April 19, with some series getting underway on Sunday, April 20. All rounds are best-of-seven series.
Bucks tiebreakers
The Bucks have fallen behind the Pacers and Pistons in the Eastern Conference standings. But the Bucks have the tiebreaker over the Pacers thanks to winning three of the four games against Indiana this season. However, they'll have to make up two games to get tied with their Central Division rivals for the tiebreaker to matter. The Bucks are 2-0 against the Pistons this season and conclude the regular season with two games in three days vs. Detroit. Those could be big in determining playoff seeds.
Milwaukee Bucks schedule
The Bucks have 10 games remaining left on their schedule beginning with Friday's showdown against the Knicks. It's the start of a three-game homestand before heading out for a three-game road trip. The Bucks' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 6 is a makeup contest.
Here's a look at the Bucks' schedule for the rest of the season (all times are CT):
- Friday, March 28: vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m., at Fiserv Forum
- Sunday, March 30: vs. Atlanta Hawks, 6 p.m., at Fiserv Forum
- Tuesday, April 1: vs. Phoenix Suns, 6:30 p.m., at Fiserv Forum
- Thursday, April 3: at Philadelphia 76ers, 6 p.m.
- Saturday, April 5: at Miami Heat, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, April 6: at New Orleans Pelicans, 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 8: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m., at Fiserv Forum
- Thursday, April 10: vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 7 p.m., at Fiserv Forum
- Friday, April 11: at Detroit Pistons, 6 p.m.
- Sunday, April 13: vs. Detroit Pistons, noon, at Fiserv Forum
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NBA standings: Playoff picture, bracket, play-in tournament dates
Continue reading...
