When the NBA playoffs begin with the play-in games this week, it will be the first time no Texas teams appear in the league’s postseason since 1980, the year the Dallas Mavericks became a team.
The Mavericks followed an appearance in last season’s Western Conference Finals with a 38-44 campaign that included lackluster performances down the stretch. The team was in a prime position for the playoffs with a 96% chance of making the postseason after trading for All-Star guard Kyrie Irving in February but went 9-16 over the final 25 games of the season to miss the playoffs.
The San Antonio Spurs finished 22-60, their fourth consecutive losing season and tied for the second-worst record in the NBA. The Spurs have not made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season after making the field in 22 straight seasons.
The Houston Rockets also went 22-60 and let head coach Stephen Silas go. The Rockets had a losing record in each of Silas’s three seasons at the helm, and last made the playoffs in 2019-20, the season before he was hired.
Here are the teams that did make the playoffs in the Western Conference:
1. Denver Nuggets 53-29
2. Memphis Grizzlies 51-31
3. Sacramento Kings 48-34
4. Phoenix Suns 45-37
5. Los Angeles Clippers 44-38
6. Golden State Warriors 44-38
7. Los Angeles Lakers 43-39
8. Minnesota Timberwolves 42-40
9. New Orleans Pelicans 42-40
10. Oklahoma City Thunder 40-42
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Noteworthy: The Denver Nuggets are the No.1 seed for the first time since joining the NBA from the ABA in 1976. The Sacramento Kings return to the playoffs after an 18-year absence, ending the league’s longest drought. The Phoenix Suns edge out the Los Angeles Clippers and defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors for the No.4-seed as Golden State secures the final regular playoff spot.
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Here are the teams that made the playoffs in the Eastern Conference:
1. Milwaukee Bucks 58-24
2. Boston Celtics 57-25
3. Philadelphia 76ers 54-28
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 51-31
5. New York Knicks 47-35
6. Brooklyn Nets 45-37
7. Miami Heat 44-38
8. Atlanta Hawks 41-41
9. Toronto Raptors 41-41
10. Chicago Bulls 40-42
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Noteworthy: The Milwaukee Bucks edge the Boston Celtics by a game for the No.1 seed. The Cleveland Cavaliers return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18 after being eliminated by Atlanta in the play-in last season, while the New York Knicks make the postseason for the second time in the last three seasons looking to win their second playoff series since 2000.
If Toronto gets eliminated during the play-in tournament, the Raptors will miss the playoffs for the second time in the last three years after a seven-year streak that included an NBA title.
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Seeds seven through ten in each conference will compete in a play-in tournament to determine the last two teams to join the conference playoff field.
The seventh and eighth seeds will play each other first, with the winner earning a playoff birth as the seventh seed. The loser will await the winner of the No.9 vs. No.10 game and play for the eighth seed on Friday.
Here is the play-in schedule:
Tuesday
Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat, 6:30 p.m. CT
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. CT
Wednesday
Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors, 6 p.m. CT
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 8:30 p.m. CT
Friday
Atlanta/Miami vs. Chicago/Toronto, TBD
Los Angeles/Minnesota vs. Oklahoma City/New Orleans, TBD
The winners of the play-in games will complete the 16-team playoff field. Brooklyn and Philadelphia will be the first game of round one at noon CT on Saturday.