EDITOR’S NOTE: This guide will be updated at the end of each day’s set of games until the last game of the regular season is played. Last updated May 16, 2021.
It’s going to be a pretty wild week for the NBA, as teams are jockeying for two things: home court advantage and avoiding the play-ins.
Some teams are separated from each other by razor-thin margins, including who will finish in first place in the Western Conference.
Here’s our breakdown for each conference.
Eastern Conference
| Position | Team | Record | Games Left |
| 1 | Philadelphia 76ers | 48-23 | 1 |
| 2 | Brooklyn Nets | 47-24 | 1 |
| 3 | Milwaukee Bucks | 46-25 | 1 |
| 4 | New York Knicks | 40-31 | 1 |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 40-31 | 1 |
| 6 | Miami Heat | 39-32 | 1 |
| 7 | Boston Celtics | 36-35 | 1 |
| 8 | Charlotte Hornets | 33-38 | 1 |
| 9 | Washington Wizards | 33-38 | 1 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 33-38 | 1 |
Updates:
The Bucks and Nets are still battling for second and third place, and
Milwaukee’s win yesterday also keeps things interesting in the race for the second seed, as they’re only one game behind the Nets and own the tiebreaker – putting more pressure on Brooklyn to close out the season perfectly.
The Heat lost to the Bucks and opened the door for the Knicks and Hawks to stay ahead of them.
Eighth place will now be decided by the game between the Wizards and Hornets, setting up a final-day showdown.
Western Conference
| Position | Team | Record | Games Left |
| 1 | Utah Jazz | 51-20 | 1 |
| 2 | Phoenix Suns | 50-21 | 1 |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets | 47-24 | 1 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 47-24 | 1 |
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks | 42-29 | 1 |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 41-30 | 1 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Lakers | 41-30 | 1 |
| 8 | Golden State Warriors | 38-33 | 1 |
| 9 | Memphis Grizzlies | 38-33 | 1 |
| 10 | San Antonio Spurs | 33-38 | 1 |
Updates:
The Jazz must win their final game to keep their first seed, if they lose then Phoenix will finish up top thanks to the tiebreaker.
The Clippers and Nuggets are still locked in a tight battle for the third seed. Even if the Clippers win, they still need to hope that the Nuggets lose to the Blazers.
Speaking of the Blazers, they’re now locked in a must-win game against the Nuggets because a loss might send them to the play-ins. LeBron James and Anthony Davis came back and they’ll do all they can to beat the Pelicans.
Steph Curry and the Warriors will see an exciting season-ender with the Memphis Grizzlies. With their records tied and the regular season record still at 1-1, whoever wins their battle will finish eighth. This is important because that team will get a chance to make the playoffs twice. The loser of the game between the 7th and 8th seeds will be able to play the winner of the game between 9th and 10th for the final playoff berth.
