Updated 2023 NBA Playoff Bracket Predictions

There's been plenty of player movement since we last made playoff bracket predictions, with stars like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, D'Angelo Russell and others switching teams at the deadline.

Other contenders have loaded up on veteran help for a playoff run, led by Jae Crowder to the Milwaukee Bucks, Eric Gordon to the Los Angeles Clippers, Jakob Poeltl to the Toronto Raptors and Luke Kennard joining the Memphis Grizzlies.

While the top of the East largely looks the same, the breakup of the Brooklyn Nets has shuffled the bottom of the conference playoff picture.

A new squad has also joined the West's top-8 teams, one with a roster that looks completely different from the group that began the season.

Following a busy trade deadline and buyout market, here's how the 2023 NBA playoff brackets predict to shake out.

Note: All strength of schedule and remaining strength of schedule stats are via Basketball-Reference.com. Player stats accurate as of Feb. 15.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Current Record/Seed: 38-23, 4th in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 10th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 15th in East

It's tempting to push the Cavs into the top-three spots given their easiest remaining conference schedule and an NBA-best plus-7.6 net rating over the past five-ish weeks.

Still, Cleveland are still quite young and may not have enough juice to jump over the older, more established powerhouses in the East.

Grabbing a top-4 seed and homecourt advantage in the first-round would be a nice jump after being eliminated in the play-in tournament last year. While Kevin Love may be on his way out and the Cavaliers were one of just two teams to not make a trade, the signing of Danny Green adds a much-needed veteran wing who can space the floor.

Miami would be an excellent first-round test, one with a core that's already reached an NBA Finals, yet has enough weaknesses to allow Cleveland to advance to the conference semifinals.

Miami Heat

Current Record/Seed: 32-27, 7th in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 11th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 3rd in East

Miami should take advantage of the Brooklyn Nets' retooling to make a jump up the standings, although anything above the No. 5 seed looks nearly impossible at this point.

The play of Kyle Lowry will be a big factor, as the veteran guard is currently nursing left knee soreness. If he can get it rested for a playoff run (with backup Gabe Vincent more than capable of running point in his absence), Lowry will be an important X-Factor for a Heat team that already features plenty of scorers.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd, Miami is expected to be a suitor for Love should he get a buyout from the Cavs, adding an interesting wrinkle to this matchup. The Heat are thin at power forward, and Love could still serve as a three-point shooting big man off the bench.

Miami has the experience to get past Cleveland, but like all season, health would be a concern.

Philadelphia 76ers

Current Record/Seed: 38-19, 3rd in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 15th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 1st in East

While the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks have grabbed most of the attention in the East this season, the 76ers should absolutely terrify anyone who has to face them this postseason.

Joel Embiid is arguably the most unstoppable force in the league, James Harden is having a terrific season as a pass-first guard and there's enough depth to challenge even the deepest of rosters.

The 76ers also picked up Jalen McDaniels at the deadline, an underrated acquisition from the Charlotte Hornets who will give this team a little more offensive pop from the wing than Matisse Thybulle.

Assuming Tyrese Maxey continues to buy into a bench role, not even the East's hardest remaining schedule will slow Philly down.

New York Knicks

Current Record/Seed: 33-27, 6th in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 8th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 7th in East

While they'll be pushed by the glutton of mediocre teams just below them, the Knicks should maintain a dedicated playoff spot given their recent play and trade deadline addition.

Getting Josh Hart in a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers while only giving up Cam Reddish and draft capital has already made a big impact on the current rotation, with Hart putting up 17.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals on 64.3 percent shooting from three in his first three games.

With Julius Randle back to All-Star form and Jalen Brunson playing like the $100 million bargain we predicted he would be, the Knicks should be a lock for the No. 5 or 6 seed.

A 3-0 start to the Hart era in New York is no fluke. This Knicks team is good, but a matchup against the powerhouse 76ers could mean an early playoff exit.

Milwaukee Bucks

Current Record/Seed: 41-17, 2nd in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 12th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 8th in East

A 12-game win streak still has the Bucks just shy of catching the Celtics in the East, a spot they ultimately fall just short of here.

Bobby Portis is still out with an MCP sprain, and newly-acquired Jae Crowder is still working his way back to basketball shape after not playing since May 15, 2022. While both should be ready well before the playoffs begin, this delay may prove the difference in being able to catch Boston.

The good news for Milwaukee? Khris Middleton is returning to form (18.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 49.4 percent shooting over his last six games) while Joe Ingles is up to 40.4 percent from three over his last 13 contests.

With Jrue Holiday playing some of the best basketball of his career and Giannis Antetokounmpo still in the running for MVP, the Bucks aren't falling out of the second seed, either.

Toronto Raptors

Current Record/Seed: 28-31, 10th in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 9th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 4th in East

At three games below .500 heading into the All-Star break, the Raptors have a lot of ground to make up to even reach the playoffs.

Climbing into the top-6 spots is probably out of the question, as Toronto currently trails the Knicks by a healthy four-and-a-half games. Staying in the play-in tournament and winning their way out is almost certainly the path the Raptors will have to take.

Jakob Poeltl has already given the Raptors a boost in his return, putting up 30 points on 15-of-17 shooting in his third game, all while grabbing nine rebounds, blocking six shots and handing out a pair of assists.

Assuming O.G. Anunoby can make his return from a wrist injury relatively soon, and given that the rest of the roster can exhale now that the trade deadline has passed, this could be a scary team to face for the rest of the season.

Boston Celtics

Current Record/Seed: 42-17, 1st in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 14th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 5th in East

Recent injuries have somewhat limited their cushion at the top of the East, although the Celtics still enter the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA.

This is a perfectly-balanced team, one that ranks in the top-4 in both offense and defense and possesses the league's best net rating at plus-6.2. Even what looked like a minimal pickup at the trade deadline in Mike Muscala has paid big dividends thus far (13.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 39.1 percent shooting from three).

Playing the second-easiest schedule in the East thus far has helped, but this is still the NBA's best team to this point who possesses multiple All-Star. They now have a full-time coach (and possible Coach of the Year) with Joe Mazzulla too.

The Celtics face off against the Nets for the second straight year, although one that looks quite different.

Brooklyn Nets

Current Record/Seed: 34-24, 5th in East

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 7th in East

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 9th in East

Even without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, this Nets team is still 10 games above .500 and has plenty of players to like up and down the roster.

Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas both look like No. 1 offensive options on any given night, and there are still lots of shooters sprinkled throughout with an elite rim protector in Nic Claxton anchoring the middle.

The Nets will likely look very different this summer as the trade deadline dust finally settles and some veterans get shopped around. A playoff spot is still entirely possible, however, especially since teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls continue to sputter.

Brooklyn doesn't stand a chance in a playoff series against the Celtics, but respect should be paid for even staying in the postseason picture.

Los Angeles Clippers

Current Record/Seed: 32-28, 4th in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 14th in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 1st in West

The Clippers backcourt will look noticeably different moving forward after swapping out Reggie Jackson and John Wall in favor of Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland. While they didn't add the pure point guard this roster probably needed, this is still a potential landing spot for Russell Westbrook, for better or worse.

Owners of the hardest remaining schedule in the West, Los Angeles can help offset this simply by Kawhi Leonard playing at his current level. Leonard is up to 28.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals over his last 16 games, all while shooting 49.4 percent from three.

Getting Mason Plumlee from the Charlotte Hornets gives this team one of the better backup centers in the NBA, a previous area of weakness.

It may take a few games (or weeks) to determine the best starting lineup and rotation, but this is a Clippers squad capable of going on a long winning streak and settling into the No. 4 seed.

Sacramento Kings

Current Record/Seed: 32-25, 3rd in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 15th in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 2nd in West

Predicting the Kings to fall from their current No. 3 seed to No. 5 in the West is no knock on Sacramento, but rather a belief that the Clippers and Phoenix Suns will catch fire over the final few months.

The Kings do have a favorable schedule to close out the regular season, however, and are one of just five NBA teams to possess multiple All-Stars this year.

Choosing to do nothing of substance at the trade deadline could backfire, however, especially with teams around them adding players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland, Luke Kennard and Terrence Ross.

Sacramento isn't going to fall out of the playoffs, but won't get to host a postseason series this year, either.

Phoenix Suns

Current Record/Seed: 32-27, 5th in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 9th in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 3rd in West

Let's be honest, this is the first-round matchup that everyone wants to see.

Kevin Durant vs. Kyrie Irving is the headliner here, but getting Devin Booker vs. Luka Dončić with some Chris Paul sprinkled in makes this an incredible tasty matchup.

The Suns project to only jump a single spot from their current standing, given that we don't know when Durant will return to the floor following an MCL sprain. This is still a team that can win in is absence, of course, with T.J. Warren (trade) and Terrence Ross (buyout signing) recently joining the team as well.

Had they been together all season, this is a core that could feasibly have finished with the NBA's best record. Coming together this late results in a still respectable No. 3 seed in the West, however.

Dallas Mavericks

Current Record/Seed: 31-29, 6th in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 3rd in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 15th in West

Dallas has the easiest remaining schedule of any West team, one they'll need to stay in the top-six spots in the West even with Irving.

The early results with Dončić and Irivng on the floor have been predictable; a historically-great offense with a defense that is now struggling without Dorian Finney-Smith. In 109 total possessions with Dončić and Irving together, the Mavs have an offensive rating of 131.2 (100th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass) and a defensive rating of 120.7 (9th percentile).

Dallas may very well have to win some high-scoring matchups for the rest of this year, all while trying to figure out their frontcourt rotation.

If forced to go head-to-head with a healthy Suns team in the first round, however, this Mavs roster will simply come up short.

Memphis Grizzlies

Current Record/Seed: 35-22, 2nd in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 10th in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 14th in West

The Grizzlies have slipped out of the No. 1 seed conversation lately, going just 4-7 overall since starting center Steven Adams has been out with a sprained PCL. He's due back soon, however, meaning Memphis should be able to stay in the second spot out West.

While this would have been a fun destination for a player like Mikal Bridges or O.G. Anunoby at the deadline, adding Luke Kennard as another floor-spacer next to Ja Morant should only help spread everything out for the offense.

These two teams have also become one of the better, and really only, rivalries in the NBA over recent years.

Memphis knocked Golden State out of the play-in tournament in 2021, only for the Warriors to come back and defeat the Grizzlies in the second round last spring. While Memphis will have homecourt advantage here (a nice plus considering Golden State's 7-22 road record), these are still the defending champions who should be hungry for a fifth title together.

Golden State Warriors

Current Record/Seed: 29-29, 9th in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 7th in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 10th in West

This has been a mess of a season for the Warriors with injuries, poor road play and trying to balance winning with player development.

Still, if the Warriors remain in the play-in picture, it's hard to imagine a healthy core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole not claiming one of the final playoff spots.

The James Wiseman experiment is over, which is probably for the best, but also not what anyone wanted here. Gary Payton II will hopefully be ready by playoff time following a lingering core muscle injury, and his acclimation to the team should be a quick one given their previous history together.

While a banged-up Warriors squad continues to wade through a sloppy regular season, teams should be wary of waking this sleeping giant when the games truly matter.

Denver Nuggets

Current Record/Seed: 41-18, 1st in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 13th in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 9th in West

While the Memphis Grizzlies looked like a threat to finish ahead of the Nuggets for much of the season, Denver has opened up a five-game lead and looks like a lock to grab the No. 1 overall seed.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, the Nuggets have a 91.7 percent chance to finish first, a mark that may even seem too low.

While the bench looked like an area of weakness, Denver picked up veteran point guard Reggie Jackson via the buyout market and traded for center Thomas Bryant, giving the second unit some serious reinforcements.

Nikola Jokić should be the MVP favorite once again, and Michael Porter Jr. is up to 19.0 points on 41.1 percent shooting from three over his last 10 games. It would take a meltdown of epic proportions for the Nuggets to not secure the No. 1 seed at this point.

Los Angeles Lakers

Current Record/Seed: 27-32, 13th in West

Current Strength of Schedule Rank: 8th in West

Remaining Strength of Schedule Rank: 8th in West

A special welcome to the Lakers for finally making these playoff-bracket predictions, even if it did take three tries.

This is finally a playoff-caliber roster, one that recently started three new additions (D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt) around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

This should be one of the bench units in the league now as well, one that features Dennis Schroder, Lonnie Walker IV, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Mo Bamba.

One can point at the Lakers' lousy record or their 13th-place standing, but this team is just two games out of the play-in tournament and teams like the New Orleans Pelicans (Zion Williamson) and Minnesota Timberwolves (Karl-Anthony Towns) still have serious injury concerns with their top big men.

If James and Davis are even somewhat healthy the rest of the way, the Lakers can come out of the play-in tournament.