Categories: NBA

NBA playoff predictions: Bracket picks & 2024 Finals champion

The 2023-24 season is now headed for the stretch run, and we have our latest NBA Playoff predictions for the campaign.

Back east, the Boston Celtics are absolutely dominating and look like a the odds-on title favorites. In the Western Conference, it’s been two surprising teams in that of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves who are opening eyes.

We’ve also seen the Philadelphia 76ers struggle big time with Joel Embiid sidelined to a torn meniscus. There are also major races to avoid the dreaded NBA Play-In Tournament in both conferences.

Below, we give you our NBA playoff predictions for the 2023-24 campaign with updates throughout the season.

Related: Updated 2024 NBA power rankings

Eastern Conference NBA playoff predictions and seeds

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
  1. Boston Celtics (65-17)
  2. Milwaukee Bucks (55-27)
  3. New York Knicks (50-32)
  4. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-33)
  5. Orlando Magic (48-34)
  6. Philadelphia 76ers (45-37)
  7. Miami Heat (44-38)
  8. Indiana Pacers (44-38)
  • Boston is by far the best team in the Eastern Conference. It is eight games ahead of Milwaukee for the top seed. It’s a spot the Celtics will not be giving up in the “second half” of the campaign. The new core three of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis are averaging a combined 70 points to go with 21.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists. That seems pretty good.
  • Milwaukee’s decision to fire head coach Adrian Griffin was an absolute shock. After losing six of nine to start the Doc Rivers era, the Bucks have won six consecutive games. With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard heading things, they could be a force back east moving forward.

Related: 2024 NBA MVP race

  • We absolutely love what New York did leading up to the NBA trade deadline. OG Anunoby should be able to return from injury at some point in the second half. Acquiring Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons was an absolute coup. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson is playing at an NBA MVP level. The guard is averaging 27.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists on 48% shooting. He’s set to lead this team into conference title contention. Our latest NBA Playoff predictions show that in a big way.
  • Since starting the season with a mere 13-12 record, Cleveland has been on an absolute roll. The team has won 26 of its past 35 games, headlined by the studly play of Donovan Mitchell. He’s averaging 29.0 points and 7.3 assists on 49% shooting during this span. Unfortunately, Mitchell is currently sidelined with a troublesome knee injury. It’s something to watch.
  • Yet another surprise team, Orlando is in playoff positioning back east. Paolo Banchero (22.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.3 APG) and Franz Wagner (21.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.0 APG) represent one of the better young duos in the NBA. The Magic also have six players averaging over 11 points per game. This depth will prove to be big as the regular season draws to a conclusion.

  • It’s going to be all about Joel Embiid and his ability to return from a torn meniscus late in the regular season. If he’s 100% down the stretch, Philadelphia will be heard from. At issue here is standing in the Eastern Conference. Without Embiid in the mix over the foreseeable future, Philadelphia likely won’t be able to get home-court advantage in the first round. The team is 9-17 without Embiid in the mix this season. Ouch!
  • Front office head Pat Riley was not able to pull off that blockbuster trade ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. Whether Terry Rozier moves the needle remains to be seen. He’s averaging just 13.7 points on 39% shooting with the team. Miami does have three 20-point scorers in Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. That should be enough moving forward in the regular season. But don’t expect another surprise NBA Finals run this season.
  • Our NBA Playoff predictions have Indiana earning the seventh seed via the play-in tournament. That’s not necessarily where fans of the Pacers expect them to be. However, there are some issues here. Despite the Pacers’ surprising first half, they rank 28th in the league in scoring defense at 122.0 per game. The hope is that the recently-acquired Pascal Siakam can change things in that regard. Either way, Indiana will be a force once the playoffs start.

Related: Get All The Latest NBA News On Sportsnaut

Western Conference NBA playoff predictions and seeds

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
  1. Minnesota Timberwolves (58-24)
  2. Denver Nuggets (57-25)
  3. Oklahoma City Thunder (56-26)
  4. Los Angeles Clippers (54-28)
  5. Phoenix Suns (49-33)
  6. New Orleans Pelicans (48-34)
  7. Sacramento Kings (46-36)
  8. Dallas Mavericks (45-37)
  • That whole thing about Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns being a bad fit together for the Minnesota Timberwolves can now be thrown out the window. Minnesota heads into the break ranked first in the NBA in both points allowed and defensive rating. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards (26.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.2 APG) is in the NBA MVP conversation. This is a well-rounded team that could very well earn the top seed out west when all is said and done.
  • The defending NBA champion Nuggets find themselves in third place out west. However, they are just a half of game behind Minnesota for the top spot. We envision Nikola Jokic and Co. stepping it up more with seeding on the line in the second half. It also doesn’t hurt that Denver has six games remaining against Western Conference bottom feeders.

Related: NBA executives expect Minnesota Timberwolves to trade Karl-Anthony Towns this summer

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the NBA MVP? It’s not unrealistic given where Oklahoma City is in the standings and his overall brilliance. The dude is averaging 31.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and a league-leading 2.2 blocks on 55% shooting from the field. Simply sensational. Jalen Williams’ emergence as a secondary scorer (19.9 PPG) coupled with the overall brilliance of Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey has OKC looking like a real threat to come out of the west.
  • IF Paul George and Kawhi Leonard can remain healthy, the Clippers have a real shot of coming out of the west. While that has been true for the most part this season, there is always a nagging suspicion that an injury will pop up. For now, the Clips are a major threat in the west.
  • Bradley Beal left a recent game against the Sacramento Kings with a hamstring injury. In his first year with the Suns, Beal has played in all of 32 games. This is troublesome as Phoenix attempted to build a super team with Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. In reality, Beal’s status moving forward will dictate the Suns’ standing in our NBA Playoff predictions. It’s that simple.
  • Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum. This big three has created a contender for the Pelicans. As with Dallas, it’s all about consistency.
  • Uneven. That’s the best way to describe what we’ve seen from Sacramento thus far this season. Since a 19-12 start to the season, they boast a mere 15-14 record. Issues on the defensive end have been the main culprit with the Kings giving up an average of 118 points per game.
  • When Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are playing at the top of their game, the Mavericks are hard to defeat. At issue here is inconsistency and injuries to Irving. The good news here is that Dallas has won five consecutive games.

NBA playoff predictions: Matchups and winners

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Eastern Conference first round

  • No. 1 Boston Celtics over No. 8 Indiana Pacers (4-1)
  • No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers over No. 5 Orlando Magic (4-2)
  • No. 3 New York Knicks over No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers (4-3)
  • No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks over No. 7 Miami Heat (4-2)

Western Conference first round

  • No. 1 Minnesota Timberwolves over No. 8 Dallas Mavericks (4-3)
  • No. 5 Phoenix Suns over No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers (4-3)
  • No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder over No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans (4-2)
  • No. 2 Denver Nuggets over No. 7 Sacramento Kings (4-1)

NBA playoff predictions: Conference semifinals

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Eastern Conference semifinals

  • No. 4 Boston Celtics over No. 5 Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1)
  • No. 3 New York Knicks over No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks (4-3)

Western Conference semifinals

  • No. 5 Phoenix Suns over No. 1 Minnesota Timberwolves (4-3)
  • No. 2 Denver Nuggets over No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder (4-2)

NBA playoff predictions: Conference finals

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Eastern Conference conference finals

  • No. 1 Boston Celtics over No. 3 New York Knicks (4-1)

Western Conference conference finals

  • No. 1 Denver Nuggets over No. 5 Phoenix Suns (4-2)

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2024 NBA Finals predictions: Boston Celtics over Denver Nuggets (4-2)

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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