It’s playoff-positioning time in the NBA.
Going into Monday, there are 57 games left in the season. The 10 Eastern Conference postseason teams are set; Cleveland, Boston, New York, Indiana, Milwaukee and Detroit are in the playoffs. Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami have clinched play-in spots.
In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City is the No. 1 seed and Houston is in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers, Denver, the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State enter Monday holding playoff spots, with Minnesota and Memphis chasing them and trying to stay out of the play-in. Dallas and Sacramento have the inside track for the last two West play-in berths, with Phoenix (2 1/2 games back of 10th entering Monday) still alive.
Add it up, and 21 of the 30 teams are still playing for something other than lottery odds with a week to go in the regular season.
Monday’s games
Sacramento at Detroit — The Kings can take a big step toward getting home-court for the West’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on April 16. The Pistons need a win to stay within reasonable striking distance of the No. 5 seed in the East.
Philadelphia at Miami — If the Heat are going to escape the East’s 9-10 game, they probably need a 4-0 week to finish the season.
National TV schedule
Monday’s Sacramento-Detroit game is also on NBA TV. Tuesday has a TNT doubleheader, with New York-Boston and Golden State-Phoenix.
Betting odds
Oklahoma City (+175) is favored to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed closely by Boston (+200), Cleveland (+500), then the Lakers (+1000), Golden State (+1200) and Denver (+1600). Nobody else has odds shorter than 35-1.
Key dates
April 11 — All 30 NBA teams play.
April 12 — No games.
April 13 — All 30 NBA teams play, end of regular season.
April 15 — The No. 7 and No. 8 finishers in both conferences play to start the play-in tournament. Winners are the No. 7 seed for the playoffs; losers will host play-in elimination games on April 18.
April 16 — The No. 9 and No. 10 finishers in both conferences play. Winners move on to April 18; losers are finished for the season.
April 18 — The April 15 game losers play host to the April 16 game winners. Winners are the No. 8 seed for the playoffs; losers are finished for the season.
April 19 — NBA playoffs begin.
Numbers watch
— The NBA record for total 3-pointers made in a season fell on Sunday. Boston also has broken the NBA’s single-season records for 3-pointers made and attempted by a team.
— For the first time, the NBA could have three players make 300 3-pointers in a season. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards has 303, Detroit’s Malik Beasley has 301 and Golden State’s Stephen Curry has 294. Edwards and Beasley — both of whom crossed the 300-make threshold on Saturday — are the fourth and fifth players to do so in NBA history. Curry has five seasons of 300 3s or more, James Harden has one and Klay Thompson has one.
— There have been four instances of teammates each having 250 3-pointers in a season: Curry and Thompson did it four times when they were the Warriors’ “Splash Brothers.” Boston could have three players reach that number this season: Derrick White is already there with 258, Payton Pritchard has 246 and Jayson Tatum has 243.
Stat of the day
Denver is 47-32 for fourth in the West, while the Clippers, Golden State, Minnesota, and Memphis — in that order — are all 46-32 entering Monday. A half-game separates No. 4 through No. 8 in the West with a week to go.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
The Associated Press
