2024 NBA playoffs bracket: Postseason picture with matchups set for first round, Play-In Tournament

The 20-team NBA postseason tips off on Tuesday night with the first pair of Play-In Tournament games

The 2024 NBA playoff bracket is set, and the postseason gets started Tuesday night with the Play-In Tournament. Twenty teams enter the postseason, but only 16 will make the first round of the playoffs. Those final four spots will be decided in the coming days as the Lakers, Pelicans, Warriors, Kings, 76ers, Heat, Bulls and Hawks compete in the Play-In Tournament to determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences.

Meanwhile, four first-round series are already locked in: Bucks vs. Pacers and Cavaliers vs. Magic in the East and Timberwolves vs. Suns and Clippers vs. Mavericks in the West. The first round of the playoffs starts on Saturday.

The Pelicans host the Lakers on Tuesday night in the first Play-In Tournament game. The winner gets the No. 7 seed and a first-round date with the defending champion Nuggets, while the loser will face either the Kings or Warriors for the No. 8 seed on Friday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder, who clinched the West's No. 1 seed on Sunday, await in the first round.

The East Play-In games will go down Wednesday night. The 76ers host the Heat with the East's No. 7 seed on the line. The Knicks will face the winner of that game in the first round. The Bulls square off with the Hawks in the 9/10 matchup later Wednesday night. The Celtics, who won 64 games in the regular season and have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, will face off with the East's No. 8 seed in the first round, starting on Sunday.

Here's a look at the complete playoff bracket with all the seeds set. You can see the full playoff schedule here.

2024 NBA playoff bracket

West
(1) Thunder vs. (8) Pelicans/Lakers/Kings/Warriors
(2) Nuggets vs. (7) Pelicans/Lakers
(3) Timberwolves vs. (6) Suns
(4) Clippers vs. (5) Mavericks

East
(1) Celtics vs. (8) 76ers/Heat/Bulls/Hawks
(2) Knicks vs. (7) 76ers/Heat
(3) Bucks vs. (6) Pacers
(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Magic

Final Eastern Conference 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

Final Western Conference 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

Play-In Tournament schedule

(All times Eastern)

Tuesday, April 16
No. 7 Pelicans vs. No. 8 Lakers, 7:30 p.m., TNT
No. 9 Kings vs. No. 10 Warriors, 10 p.m., TNT

Wednesday, April 17
No. 7 76ers vs. No. 8 Heat, 7 p.m., ESPN/fubo
No. 9 Bulls vs. No. 10 Hawks, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo

Friday, April 19
East No. 7/8 vs. East No. 9/10, Time TBD, ESPN/fubo
West No. 7/8 vs. West No. 9/10, Time TBD, TNT

2024 NBA playoffs schedule: First round

Saturday, April 20
Game 1: Knicks vs. East No. 7, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Magic, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Nuggets vs. West No. 7, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Timberwolves vs. Suns, Time/TV TBD

Sunday, April 21
Game 1: Celtics vs. East No. 8, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Bucks vs. Pacers, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Thunder vs. West No. 8, Time/TV TBD
Game 1: Clippers vs. Mavericks, Time/TV TBD