NBA playoff picture, standings, current matchups, schedule, magic numbers: Sixers closer to sealing No. 3 in East

Unlike the Western Conference, the eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference are locked in. From here, its just seeing. Nos. 6, 7 and 8 are up for grabs, the Pacers can still technically catch Cleveland for No. 4, and the Cavs could still jump the Sixers for No. 3. Here is your Eastern Conference playoff picture entering Monday, April 9. For your Western Conference playoff picture, click here.

NOTE: Our SportsLine model, developed by predictive data engineer Stephen Oh, simulates the entire season 10,000 times to produce the most unbiased and precise projections imaginable.

Already locked in

The Raptors have secured the No. 1 seed in the East. Now it’s merely a matter of who they’ll face in the first round. 

• Current first-round matchup: No. 8 Wizards

Boston is locked into the No. 2 seed. Now they just have to figure out how to navigate the playoffs without Kyrie Irving. 

• Current first-round matchup: No. 7 Bucks

Fighting for No. 3 seed

The Sixers currently occupy the No. 3 spot out East, and according to SportsLine projections, they have better than a 90- percent chance of staying there. At worst, Philly has clinched a top-four seed. 

• Magic number to clinch No. 3 seed: Two
• Remaining games: at Atlanta, vs. Milwaukee
• Current first-round matchup: No. 6 Miami

Cleveland still has a shot at the No. 3 seed, but at just 11 percent, according to SportsLine. With two games out (both against the Knicks), the Cavs need to win out and hope the Sixers lose one of their final two. If that happens, they would both end with a 51-31 record and Cleveland would claim the No. 3 seed on a tiebreaker via conference record. Meanwhile, one Cavs win, or one Pacers loss, would seal at least the No. 4 seed for Cleveland, so that race isn’t quite over yet, either. 

• Playoff status: One back in loss column of No. 3 Sixers, two up on No. 5 Pacers
• Magic number to clinch No. 4 seed: One
• Remaining games: at Knicks, vs. Knicks
• Current first-round matchup: No. 5 Indiana

Clinging to home-court hope

The Pacers have clinched no worse than the No. 5 seed. Their path to the No. 4 seed is simple: They have to win their final two games, and Cavs have to lose their final two. In that case, Indiana would win the higher seed via a 3-1 head-to-head record vs. Cleveland. Don’t bet on the Cavs losing back-to-back games to the Knicks to close the season, but it’s possible. 

• Playoff status: Clinched No. 5, two back of No. 4 Cleveland
• Remaining games: at Charlotte, vs. Charlotte

The Heat control their destiny for the No. 6 seed: Win out, and it’s theirs. Miami has a tough one Monday night vs. the Thunder, who are in their own playoff battle.

• Magic number to clinch No. 6: Two
• Remaining games: vs OKC, vs. Toronto

Milwaukee can move up to the No. 6 seed if it wins out and Miami drops one of its last two, but it can also fall to No. 8 if it loses out and Wizards win out. 

• Remaining games: vs. Orlando, at Philadelphia

Four straight losses have dropped the Wizards to the No. 8 seed, but with two winnable games to close out the season, as high as No. 6 is still in play with some help.   

• Remaining games: vs. Boston, at Orlando
• SportsLine projection: Projected No. 8 seed