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Teams are preparing for their NBA playoff runs, and are vying for the top seeds. Others are battling for the final seeds that guarantee safety from the play-in tournament. There are big names and landmark franchises that are already off to bad starts on their NBA playoff runs.
A few teams expected to contend for conference championships are trending in the wrong direction. They have put themselves behind the 8-ball before their NBA playoff run has even begun.
Here are four teams outside the top six in each conference who are making things more difficult for themselves as of late.
Four Teams in trouble with their 2024 NBA playoff fates
#1 Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have struggled with health all season. Steph Curry has missed some time with his pesky ankle issues. Klay Thompson and Chris Paul have both been injured and then forced to adjust to roles off the bench. Draymond Green was suspended for his on-court behavior. It has been another rocky season for the former dynasty.
The Warriors have mounted a bit of a comeback once healthy. However, they have not been able to get out of 10th place in the West. They have crept up and sit one game behind the Lakers for ninth. However, they are 5-5 in their last 10 and have been near .500 all season.
Curry and Co. will need to finish strong in order to avoid the most difficult path to the playoffs. They are unlikely to miss the postseason altogether but a 10th place finish would require winning two road games just to earn the eighth seed and face a mighty Denver Nuggets team or high-flying OKC Thunder in the first round.
Not an easy NBA playoff run at all. The Houston Rockets have won five in a row and could press for the 10th spot if they keep it up.
#2 LA Lakers
The Lakers have paralleled the Warriors for much of the season. They are built around older stars like LeBron James, who has been playing unreal ball lately but it has not always translated to a win. LA’s longest winning streak this season is just four games, something they only managed once.
LA will need to string together something more substantial to avoid the play-in tournament. They are 2.5 games back of the Phoenix Suns and three games behind the Sacramento Kings.
James and the Lakers have come out of the play-in tournament but it may be asking alot for them to win two games in close succession. Even if they do win the play-in tournament, a seven seed could mean a matchup with the Denver Nuggets who has an upper hand over Lakers. Denver swept the Lakers in last year’s conference finals and went 3-0 against LA this season.
#3 Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers season was derailed when Joel Embiid went down with a leg injury. He could return for an NBA playoff run but the Sixers may have damaged their chances before his return.
Tyrese Maxey has done his best to keep the team afloat. However, he recently missed time due to a concussion and the Sixers health issues have dropped them down the standings.
Once a certifiable top three team in the East, Philly now sits in sixth after winning their previous two outings. They are just one game out of eighth though and could easily slip back into a road game in the play-in tournament to begin their difficult NBA playoff run.
#4 Miami Heat
The defending Eastern Conference champions have been up-and-down all season. They suffered a seven-game losing streak in January, which was the longest in Erik Spoelstra’s career. They later won seven of eight and have now returned to .500 ball going 5-5 in their last 10.
They have fallen to eighth in the East at 37-31, and will need a strong finish to avoid the play-in tournament. Last season, they escaped the play-in tournament and went all the way to the NBA Finals.
