The 2024 NBA playoff bracket is now set. What are the matchups?

The 2024 NBA playoffs bracket is set with the first round series tipping off on Saturday.

The top six teams from each conference head to the playoffs, while the No. 7 and No. 8 spots were determined by the play-in tournament.

The Boston Celtics are the top seed in the Eastern Conference. As the finishers with the best overall record, they’ll be guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the postseason. The New York Knicks leapfrogged the struggling Milwaukee Bucks to grab the No. 2 seed, with the Cleveland Cavaliers rounding out the East’s top four teams.

The Orlando Magic (No. 5 seed) and the Indiana Pacers (No. 6 seed) also finalized their playoff spots. The East’s play-in tournament began with the Philadelphia 76ers beating the Miami Heat, 105-104, to clinch the No. 7 seed. Then, the Heat clinched the No. 8 seed after seeing off the Chicago Bulls in the play-in.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the No. 1 seed after ending Sunday in a three-way tie with the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets will begin defending their NBA Finals championship as the No. 2 seed, while the Wolves are set for the No. 3 seed.

The LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks will face off in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup, with the Phoenix Suns clinching the No. 6 spot Sunday with a win over Minnesota.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-106, to claim the No. 7 seed. However, New Orleans clinched the No. 8 seed by defeating Sacramento Kings in the play-in game.

Get the updates ahead of the playoffs here as the road to the NBA Finals kicks into full gear.

JUMP TO: East teams | West teams

Eastern Conference bracket

First round series (best of 7):

No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Boston Celtics

What they’ve clinched: Best overall record, No. 1 seed in Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division title

Next opponent: No. 8 seed Miami Heat

Boston became the first team to secure a postseason spot in 2024 and has clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. And as holders of the overall best record, they’re guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Celtics have made the playoffs the previous nine seasons, losing to the Miami Heat in the conference finals last season. The last time they were the top overall seed in the East was after the 2016-17 season, when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals.

Miami Heat

What they clinched: No. 8 seed for the playoffs; lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 7/8 play-in game; beat the Chicago Bulls in the play-in elimination game
Next opponent: vs. No. 1 seed Boston Celtics

The Heat lost to the 76ers in the 7/8 play-in tournament game, 105-104, on Wednesday but then Bulls on Friday, 112-91, for the final playoff spot in the East. They’ll now take on the No. 1 seed Celtics in the first round.

Last season, Miami became the first team to reach the NBA Finals as a play-in team. After losing to the Atlanta Hawks, they secured the No. 8 seed by beating the Bulls. The Heat then beat the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Celtics to win the East before losing in the Finals to the Denver Nuggets.

Chicago Bulls

What they clinched: No. 9 seed for the play-in tournament; beat the Atlanta Hawks in the 9/10 game
Next opponent: Eliminated (lost to the Miami Heat in the play-in elimination game)

The Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks in 9/10 play-in game, 131-116, but lost to the Miami Heat to wrap up their season.

This had been the second straight season that the Bulls were in the play-in tournament. Last year, they beat the Toronto Raptors in the elimination match before losing to the Heat in the No. 8-seed game.

Atlanta Hawks

What they clinched: No. 10 seed for the play-in tournament
Next opponent: Eliminated (lost to the Chicago Bulls in 9/10 play-in game)

The Hawks’ season is over after losing to the Chicago Bulls in Wednesday’s 9/10 game, 131-116.

This was the third straight season that the Hawks reached the play-in tournament, but the first in which they didn’t advance. They were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat in 2022 and by the Boston Celtics in 2023. In 2021, they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks to the conference finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder

What they clinched: No. 1 seed in the Western Conference; Northwest Division
Next opponent: No. 8 seed in the West play-in tournament (Kings-Pelicans winner)

The Thunder clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on the regular season’s final day. They now await the winner of Friday’s play-in game between the Kings and Pelicans.

Prior to this season, the Thunder had not been in the playoffs since the 2019-20 season after previously missing it just twice since moving to OKC in 2008.

New Orleans Pelicans

What they clinched: No. 8 seed for the playoffs; lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 7/8 play-in game; beat the Sacramento Kings in the play-in elimination game
Next opponent: vs. No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder

The Pelicans lost the Los Angeles Lakers in the 7/8 play-in game, 110-106, on Wednesday but got into the playoffs by beating the Kings on Friday. That sets up a first round series against No. 1 seed OKC.

Last season, New Orleans lost the 9/10 elimination match in the play-in tournament to Oklahoma City. The year prior, they made the playoffs via the play-in but lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns.

Sacramento Kings

What they clinched: No. 9 seed for the play-in tournament; beat the Golden State Warriors to advance in play-in
Next opponent: Eliminated (lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in elimination game)