NBA gets set for the business end of the season

The NBA play-offs are just around the corner, but before the action gets underway, we have to go through the NBA Play-in Tournament games this week.

In the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 7-8 game. The Atlanta Hawks are up against the Charlotte Hornets in the 9-10 game.

In the Western Conference match ups, the Minnesota Timberwolves will lock horns with the Los Angeles Clippers. In the other play-in game The New Orleans Pelicans are up against the San Antonia Spurs in the 9-10 game.

The winner of the 7-8 game will clinch the seventh seed. The loser will then have to play the winner of the 9-10 game, with the winner of that game clinching the eighth seed.

Outside the play-in tournament, twelve sides have already qualified for the play-offs.

The Miami Heat secured the first seed with the overall best record in the Eastern Conference, while the Phoenix Suns had the best record in the league with a 64-18 record in the Western Conference.

Other qualifiers into the play-offs from the Western Division are The Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets.

In the Eastern Division, the Milwaukee Bucks 2^nd seed, Boston Celtics 3^rd seed, and Philadelphia 76’s 4^th seed all finished with a record of 51-31, whilst the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls have also made it into the end of season play-offs.

The NBA play-offs are scheduled to take place this Easter weekend with Utah up against Dallas on Saturday alongside Toronto against Philadelphia and Denver facing off against Golden State.

Easter Sunday will see Chicago face Milwaukee along with three other games with opponents still to be decided.

Off the court, Los Angeles Lakers have sacked their head coach Frank Vogel after failing to make the NBA play-offs. Vogel appointed in 2019 led the Lakers to an NBA championship in his first season in charge, but this season has been a poor one by their own high standards.

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