NBA regular season is over, with Phoenix and Milwaukee the top playoff favorites
On the night of April 10-11, the final regular-season NBA games were played. Twelve playoff participants were determined at the end of the season. Eight more teams made the playoffs and will play for the remaining four spots.
Regular season results
Phoenix Suns finished in the lead of the “West” by a wide margin with 64 wins in 82 games. Memphis had 8 fewer wins and Golden State had 11 more. Overall, all playoff participants were determined before the final round, as well as all the teams that will make the playoffs. The final round had no effect on tournament prospects.
No one in the Eastern Conference has done as well. While Memphis won 78% of their games, the Miami Heat, the eastern leader, won only 64% of their games (53 wins). The teams with 51 wins shared second through fourth places.
Playoff and play-in teams were also determined before the final round games, although there was much confusion in the Eastern Conference as to who would get which spot and which opponent.
Calendar
The first play-in games will take place on the night of April 12-13, with two games to be played:
“Brooklyn” – “Cleveland”.
“Minnesota vs. the Clippers.
The next day will be played:
“Atlanta” – “Charlotte”.
“New Orleans vs.
The teams will play a single game to determine the remaining four playoff participants.
So far, only four pairs have been formed in the playoffs:
“Philadelphia vs.
“Milwaukee vs.
“Dallas vs. Utah.
“Golden State vs. Denver.
“Miami, Boston, Phoenix and Memphis wait until the playoffs are over to know their opponents.
Utah Jazz defeat Golden State Warriors, snapping their winning streak
“The Utah Jazz snapped the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak, defeating them at home by a score of 111-85. Before that, the Warriors had won nine games in a row and pulled away from the chasing team.
The visitors led the way for the first time, but the home team gradually took over. The teams went to the break with the score 55:49 in favor of Utah and by the end of the third quarter the gap reached 14 points. From there on, Golden State’s play fell apart and by the end of the game the margin had nearly doubled.
Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic was the most productive player on the court, scoring 23 points in 30 minutes. His teammate Donovan Mitchell had a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds.