NBA Playoff Bracket 2024: Round-by-Round Guide to the Postseason | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Eastern Conference

The Celtics and Nuggets are by far the favorites to win the championship, with Boston having +160 odds and Denver having +290 odds, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Those two teams should handle their first-round matchups to advance to their respective conference semifinals.

Taking a look at the Celtics' path to the Finals, they would have a second-round matchup against the Cavaliers or Magic. Regardless of the opponent, the Celtics should advance to reach the conference finals for the third time in the last four years.

The second Eastern Conference Finals team is more of a question. Joel Embiid is looking to lead the 76ers to their first Finals appearance since 2001, and if the reigning MVP can get over the hump and perform in the playoffs, that doesn't seem out of the equation. He has a true co-star in Tyrese Maxey, and the pairing has what it takes to win big games.

First, Philadelphia will have to navigate the play-in tournament and a potentially difficult first round. The best-case scenario for the 76ers would be earning the No. 7 seed and avoiding the Celtics early. If they can do that, they will have a manageable first round against the Knicks and will likely face the Bucks in the second round.

It's hard to predict the 76ers' playoff path before the play-in tournament, but no matter who their opponent is, they have a solid chance at a Finals run.

The Bucks are a difficult team to evaluate heading into the playoffs. They obviously have star power with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but with Doc Rivers taking over as head coach halfway through the year, they haven't been together as long as some of the other playoff teams.

Still, any Antetokounmpo-led squad has a fighting chance, so expect Milwaukee to have a deep playoff run.

Western Conference

The Nuggets should get through their first-round matchup regardless of the opponent, but Denver will have a more difficult second-round matchup against either the Timberwolves or the Suns. Still, the Nuggets should handle their business and reach the conference finals again.

The other team to reach the conference finals could go in many directions. On one hand, the Thunder have proved themselves as a tough team to beat all year and hold the top seed, but they lack playoff experience, which is necessary with such a tough field.

If the Nuggets don't see the Lakers in the first round, Los Angeles could go on another deep playoff run to meet Denver in the Western Conference Finals, giving fans a rematch of last year.

The other Los Angeles team, the Clippers, have all the makings of a strong playoff team, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them face Denver in the Western Conference Finals either.

This year's Western Conference has one of the best fields in years, so expect high-level matchups all the way through.