The race to the 2024 NBA playoffs is heating up. With so much movement in the league standings, this news shows what has changed after every night game. Additionally, it examines what the playoff bracket would look like if the season ended today. 2024 NBA standings: Latest moves (After matches played on April 5) Western Conference Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss to Suns ties Minnesota with Denver Nuggets for the West’s No. 1 seed. Oklahoma City Thunder stay put at No. 3 after losing to the Indiana Pacers, trailing Timberwolves and Nuggets by just 1 game. Los Angeles Clippers remain at No. 4 after a win over Jazz, maintaining a 2-game cushion over No. 5 Dallas Mavericks. Mavericks stay at No. 5 after beating the Golden State Warriors, trailing the No. 4 Clippers by 2 games and leading No. 6 Phoenix Suns by 1 game. The Suns stay at No. 6 after win vs. Timberwolves, owning a 1-game lead over No. 7 the New Orleans Pelicans. Pelicans hold at No. 7 after loss to San Antonio Spurs, only 1-game lead on Sacramento Kings and L.A. Lakers. Kings steal postseason berth (top-10 finish) with Houston loss, retain No. 8 on a tiebreaker after loss to the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles Lakers tie Sacramento with Kings loss, clinch postseason berth (top-10 finish) following Houston Rockets’ loss. Warriors remain No. 10 after loss to Mavericks, leading Rockets by 4 games, but falling 2 back of Sacramento and L.A. Lakers for No. 8/9. The Rockets avoid elimination after losing to the Miami Heat due to the Warriors’ defeat. Eastern Conference The Milwaukee Bucks cling to No. 2 after a third straight loss, only up by 1 game on Cleveland and 2 on Orlando and New York. Orlando Magic remain tied with New York after a loss to Charlotte Hornets and hold No. 4 on the head-to-head tiebreaker. New York Knicks hold at No. 5 despite loss to Chicago, behind Magic on tiebreaker and 1 game back of No. 3 Cleveland. Indiana Pacers remain No. 6 after beating Thunder, trailing Orlando and New York by 1.5 games Miami Heat keep pace at No. 7 after win over Rockets, extend lead over No. 8 Philadelphia 76ers to 1 game Chicago Bulls remain No. 9, beat Knicks expanding lead over Atlanta Hawks to 1 game. 2024 NBA playoffs bracket (After games played on April 5) Western Conference (1) Timberwolves vs. (8) Play-In Winner. (2) Nuggets vs. (7) Play-In Winner. (3) Thunder vs. (6) Suns. (4) Clippers vs. (5) Mavericks. Eastern Conference (1) Celtics vs. (8) Play-In Winner. (2) Bucks vs. (7) Play-In Winner. (3) Cavaliers vs. (6) Pacers. (4) Magic vs. (5) Knicks. 2024 SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament bracket (After games played on April 5) Western Conference (7) Pelicans vs. (8) Kings. (9) Lakers vs. (10) Warriors. Eastern Conference (7) Heat vs. (8) 76ers. (9) Bulls vs. (10) Hawks. Related NBA News: Bronny James, son of LeBron James, declares for 2024 NBA draft.

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder on Thursday. What happened: The team sidelined him from competitions after he dislocated his shoulder on January 27th in New York’s win over the Heat. He was rehabilitating the shoulder to avoid surgery and return in time for the postseason. However, that timeline did not work out. Randle is expected to be reevaluated after the upcoming surgery in five months. Injury impact:  The fifth-seeded Knicks (44-31) keep advancing toward the playoffs despite suffering substantial injury holes in their lineup. In addition to, Randle, midseason pickup OG Anunoby is still absent with an injured right elbow. New York got a boost on March 27 when centre Mitchell Robinson returned to the court after a 50-game absence due to a left ankle injury. Julius, a 2024 All-Star, averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5 assists over 46 matches this campaign. Related NBA News: Bronny James, son of LeBron James, declares for 2024 NBA draft.

Bronny James declared for the 2024 NBA draft, he announced this via Instagram on Friday. Bronny is the oldest child of NBA all-time leading scorer and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and recently finished his freshman season for the University of Southern California Trojans. “I’ve had a year with some ups and downs but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete,” James said on Instagram. “I’ve made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility, and will also be entering the NCAA transfer portal. “Thank you to USC for an amazing Freshman year, and as always thankful for my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.” James Junior suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California in July last year. In late November 2023, the doctors cleared him to play basketball again and he scored his first points for USC in December. For a while now, there has been some speculations about LeBron and Bronny playing together in the NBA. “My last year will be played with my son,” James told the Athletic in 2022. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.” After the Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, LeBron, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the current season, said he does not have much time left in his NBA career.

All-Star guard for Atlanta Trae Young, will begin the next step in his rehabilitation from finger surgery. The Atlanta Hawks announced on Tuesday, although there is still no news about when he can rejoin the lineup. Young had a one-month follow-up examination to his February 27th operation to fix a torn ligament in his left pinkie finger. The Hawks said Young is recovering well and will start small finger motion exercises this week. But there was no time frame for his return to the team. Atlanta will hold the final SoFi Play-In Tournament spot in the Eastern Conference with just three weeks left in the regular season. Trae averaged 26.4 points and 10.8 assists per game when he was injured in a February 23rd defeat to the Toronto Raptors. The Atlanta Hawks are 8-7 since he left, including a 120-118 win Monday over the Boston Celtics. Related News: Clippers’ Russell Westbrook recovers from fractured hand against Pacers.

Russell Westbrook returned to the Los Angeles Clippers lineup after he missed 12 matches due to a fractured left hand Monday night. Westbrook scored 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting. He added four rebounds and seven assists in the 133-116 defeat to the Indiana Pacers.  Russell fractured his hand against the Washington Wizards on March 1 and underwent surgery to repair the injury three days later, taking away a key player from the Clippers’ squad. Westbrook averages 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season. The Clippers put Westbrook in reserve after the team bought James Harden in a trade on Nov.1. The Clippers were .500 in Westbrook’s absence and were fresh off a 121-107 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. “Having that pace and having energy on the floor, it’s definitely infectious,” head coach Ty Lue said ahead of Monday’s game. “We need that pop.” Lue said Russell Westbrook is not on any minute restriction because he maintained his cardiovascular conditioning while out. Related News: Clippers’ Russell Westbrook recovers from fractured hand against Pacers.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has been diagnosed with left hamstring strain, the team announced this on Tuesday. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Haliburton would be absent for at least the next two weeks. What happened: Haliburton was injured during the second quarter of Monday’s 133-131 victory against the Boston Celtics when he fell and seemed to do the splits on a drive to the basket. He was assisted to the locker room by two teammates. Haliburton’s impact: An All-Star last season, Haliburton is having a career-best season as he leads the NBA in assists per game (12.5) and averages 23.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 49.7% and 40.3% on 3-pointers. T.J. McConnell is the top backup for Tyrese Haliburton and has filled this role excellently during the Pacers win against the Celtics, delivering 12 points and seven assists in 24 minutes. McConnell and second-year guard Andrew Nembhard rank No.2 and No.3, respectively, in total assists for Indiana and will both be expected to act stopgaps while Tyrese recovers. Indiana has an upcoming six-game road journey that started on January 12th and ends on January 21st. After that, they will play five straight home games, which could merge nicely with Haliburton’s possible return. Related NBA News: Kevin Durant says he meant no ‘ill will’ toward Draymond Green.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was initially upset about the comments former teammate Kevin Durant made about him after he was suspended for slapping Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic las month. But Green’s anger subsided when he said on his podcast Monday that he saw the comments “through the right mindset, through the right lens” and decided not to take offense. On his part, Durant said he meant no“ill will” toward Green, his ex-teammate on the Warriors. “I’m glad he’s back. I’m glad he can move past that. Draymond is an incredible teammate,” Durant said after the Suns lost to the LA Clippers. “He got his times where he lose his temper but everybody has those times. I’m sure they’re all happy to have him back.” Durant added: “I know some people look at me as this malicious snake, passive aggressive. I know how people feel about me sometimes. When I say (expletive) I don’t mean no harm about nobody. I don’t mean to disrespect him or his family if he felt that way. I’m just glad he’s back on the court.” Green returned last Saturday after serving a 12-game suspension by the NBA for smacking Nurkic. The incident was just over a month after he was also suspended for putting the Minnesota Timberwolves Rudy Gobert into a headlock. Draymond Green on his podcast said he realized being angry with Durant and others who suggested that he get help was unproductive.

Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons said team doctors have not given him a timetable to return from the nerve impingement in his left lower back. “It is one of those things where you don’t know what time,” Simmons said before the Nets’ game Friday night against Denver. Wounded on November 6th, playing Milwaukee, Simmons has played just six matches this campaign, he is averaging 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 31.8 minutes. “It’s probably one of the most frustrating points of my career because I want to be able to help my team win,” He said. “It’s one of those things that’s a part of sports. Not every game is promised. Injuries happen. Unfortunately, it happened.” Related News: Ja Morant, Joel Embiid win NBA Players of the Week.