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Less than two months remain in the NBA season and there is plenty left to be settled.
As the NBA Playoffs near, there are a number of teams that have looked capable of winning an NBA title and a snapshot of the standings reflects that fact.
What races should fans keep an eye on as the season winds down? Based on the standings, here are the key races that could come down to the wire in an entertaining finish to the 2022-23 NBA season.
NBA POWER RANKINGS: Who’s No. 1 following All-Star Weekend?
NBA standings 2023: Eastern Conference
(Through games played on Feb. 16)
| Seed | Team | Record | Games Back |
| 1. | Celtics | 42-17 | – |
| 2. | Bucks | 41-17 | 0.5 |
| 3. | 76ers | 38-19 | 3 |
| 4. | Cavaliers | 38-23 | 5 |
| 5. | Nets | 34-24 | 7.5 |
| 6. | Knicks | 33-27 | 9.5 |
| 7. | Heat | 32-27 | 10 |
| 8. | Hawks | 29-30 | 13 |
| 9. | Wizards | 28-30 | 13.5 |
| 10. | Raptors | 28-31 | 14 |
| 11. | Bulls | 26-33 | 16 |
| 12. | Pacers | 26-34 | 16.5 |
| 13. | Magic | 24-35 | 18 |
| 14. | Hornets | 17-43 | 25.5 |
| 15. | Pistons | 15-44 | 27 |
NBA standings 2023: Western Conference
(Through games played on Feb. 16)
| Seed | Team | Record | Games Back |
| 1. | Nuggets | 41-18 | – |
| 2. | Grizzlies | 35-22 | 5 |
| 3. | Kings | 32-25 | 8 |
| 4. | Clippers | 33-28 | 9 |
| 5. | Suns | 32-28 | 9.5 |
| 6. | Mavericks | 31-29 | 10.5 |
| 7. | Pelicans | 30-29 | 11 |
| 8. | Timberwolves | 31-30 | 11 |
| 9. | Warriors | 29-29 | 11.5 |
| 10. | Thunder | 28-29 | 12 |
| 11. | Jazz | 29-31 | 12.5 |
| 12. | Trail Blazers | 28-30 | 12.5 |
| 13. | Lakers | 27-32 | 14 |
| 14. | Spurs | 14-45 | 27 |
| 15. | Rockets | 13-45 | 27.5 |
NBA playoff bracket
Obviously, much can change over the course of the final two months. As it stands coming out of the All-Star break, here is a closer look at the current matchups
Eastern Conference playoff picture
Play-in matchups
- 7 Heat vs. 8 Hawks
- 9 Wizards vs. 10 Raptors
1st Round Matchups
- 1 Celtics vs. TBD Play-in winner
- 2 Bucks vs. TBD Play-in winner
- 3 76ers vs. 6 Knicks
- 4 Cavaliers vs. 5 Nets
Western Conference playoff picture
Play-in matchups
- 7 Pelicans vs. 8 Timberwolves
- 9 Warriors vs. 10 Thunder
1st Round Matchups
- 1 Nuggets vs. TBD Play-in winner
- 2 Grizzlies vs. TBD Play-in winner
- 3 Kings vs. 6 Mavericks
- 4 Clippers vs. 5 Suns
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Key races to watch in second half of NBA season
Celtics and Bucks race for No. 1
The Celtics have held on to the East’s No. 1 seed since Dec. 23 but the Bucks are right on their heels. Milwaukee rode a 12-game win streak into the All-Star break and with under 25 games remaining, is within one game of Boston.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wrist injury looms large, but last year served as a reminder of the importance of home court advantage in a potential playoff series between the two East rivals.
On the list of priorities, finishing the season healthy is first, but finishing the East’s No. 1 seed shouldn’t be too far behind.
MORE: The latest updates on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wrist injury
Sorting out the middle of the West
Denver has essentially run away with the West’s top seed and Memphis still holds a nice cushion over third, but coming out of the All-Star break, just six games separate the No. 3 Kings and No. 13 Lakers.
The Lakers’ pursuit of a top-six seed might get most of the headlines, but the defending champion Warriors are in the mix, as are the Mavericks, Pelicans, Timberwolves and upstart Thunder.
With names like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson and Anthony Edwards in the mix, the star power among these teams will make this race one of the most entertaining to follow.
MORE: Why Russell Westbrook is low-risk bet for Clippers in 2023 title chase
Who makes the Play-In Tournament?
The flip side of sorting out the middle of the pack in each conference is deliberating which teams will compete in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament.
In the East, the like Hawks, Wizards, Raptors, Bulls and Pacers are all in the mix, with one of the Nets, Knicks and Heat likely falling into Play-In Territory as well.
Last year’s Play-In Tournament did not disappoint and this year’s stands to deliver on a similar level, if not better.
The bottom of the standings
While there are a number of teams with a legitimate shot at playoff contention, the Hornets, Pistons, Rockets and Spurs have been all but eliminated.
For those four teams, the focus shifts to the offseason and, more importantly, the NBA Draft Lottery.
No one team is playing to lose but it is worth noting that each of the league’s bottom three teams has a 14.0 percent chance to win the draft lottery while the team with the fourth-worst record has a 12.5 percent chance to win the lottery.
The crown jewel of this year’s draft, of course, is Victor Wembanyama, the consensus projected No. 1 pick, but consensus No. 2 pick projection Scoot Henderson isn’t a bad consolation.
One loser will ultimately be a winner.
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