NBA Playoff Picture 2024: All tiebreakers

This NBA season has been one for the ages. It literally came down to the wire and the very last game of the regular season, and we still don’t know who’s going to face who in the first round.

Outside of the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks squaring off, nothing is set in stone, with as many as five Eastern Conference teams still fighting for postseason seeding.

The Western Conference picture isn’t much clearer, as multiple teams could still either avoid the Play-In Tournament or get better positioning, and three teams could still get the No. 1 seed. With that in mind, we’ll share all tiebreakers for postseason seeding.

NBA Playoff Tiebreakers For A Two-Way Tie

1. Better winning percentage in head-to-head matchups.
2. Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division).
3. Better winning percentage against teams in their own division (only if tied teams are in the same division).
4. Better winning percentage against teams in their own conference.
5. Better winning percentage against teams eligible for the playoffs or the Play-In Iournament in their own conference (including tied teams).
6. Better winning percentage against teams eligible for the playoffs or the Play-In Iournament in their own conference (including tied teams).
7. Better net result of total points scored less total points allowed against all opponents (point differential).

Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets – NBA 2023

NBA Playoff Tiebreakers For A Thre-Way Tie

1. Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division).
2. The two better winning percentage in head-to-head matchups.
3. Better winning percentage against teams in their own division (only if tied teams are in the same division).
4. Better winning percentage against teams in their own conference.
5. Better winning percentage against teams eligible for the playoffs or the Play-In Tournament in their own conference (including tied teams).
6. Better net result of total points scored less total points allowed against all opponents (point differential).

It had been years since we last had such an exciting regular-season finale, and most teams playing will still have a lot at stake in the 82nd game of the campaign. What else could we ask for?