The 2022-2023 season is officially over. Bring on the playoffs! Play-in games will begin on Tuesday 4/11 and then the first round of the playoffs will begin on Saturday 4/15.

These are my power rankings based on games played through 4/9/2023 and the top teams as the post season begins.

1. Milwaukee Bucks (58-24)

The Bucks have earned home come advantage throughout the entire playoffs. They are deep, healthy and have the best player in the world in my opinion in Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way. Milwaukee is the favorite to win the title. Their first-round opponent is still yet to be determined.

2. Boston Celtics (57-25)

Boston has earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference. There’s a slight question with the status of All-Star guard Jaylen Brown as he had a hand laceration which resulted in him getting stitches in his hand but reports say he should be ready to go come the first series game. Boston has been one of the top teams throughout the league all year long but now have a tough route in the playoffs as they look to get back to the NBA Finals. They could possibly face the Philadelphia 76ers and then the Milwaukee Bucks if they take care of business against the Miami Heat in the first round.

3. Denver Nuggets (53-29)

Denver finishes as the top seed in the Western Conference and have been a dominant team all season long but they did have a slip up the last couple weeks of the season, losing some bad games which almost resulted in them dropping from the top spot. The question looming over this team is which version of the team are they going to get now that the playoffs are here? Their core guys Jokic, Murray, Porter Jr. and Gordon are all healthy and look to make a deep playoff run as the West is wide open. First round opponent still to be determined.

4. Phoenix Suns (45-37)

Phoenix has gotten hot at the right time and have been unbeatable with Kevin Durant in the lineup. The bench is questionable but with a top four of Durant, Booker, Paul and Ayton, they are going to be tough to stop and if they stay healthy, they can beat anyone. Their first-round match-up is with the Los Angeles Clippers who may be without Paul George.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (51-31)

Memphis finishes the season as the second seed out West even after having Ja Morant gone for a few weeks after the All-star break. The trio of Ja, Bane and Jackson Jr. are primed to make a deep run but will face a tough first round competitor, possibly either the Pelicans or Los Angeles Lakers. During the regular season they had the best record in home games where they were 35-6 overall in those games so it’s a good thing, they will have some home court advantage to start the playoffs.

Next in line: Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)

Some of the top performances this past week include:

Monday (4/3)

• No Games Scheduled

Tuesday (4/4)

• Jimmy Butler dropped 27 points to lead the Miami Heat past the Detroit Pistons 118-105.
• Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic 117-113.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a triple double of 28, 11 and 10 as the Milwaukee Bucks rolled past the Washington Wizards 140-128.
• Joel Embiid dropped 52 points on the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers won 103-101.
• Ja Morant had 23 points and 9 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 119-109.
• LeBron James tallied 37 points and 6 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers went on the road to defeat the Utah Jazz 135-133.
• Devin Booker scored 27 points as the Phoenix Suns easily defeated the San Antonio Spurs 115-94.

Wednesday (4/5)

• Kyrie Irving dropped 31 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Sacramento Kings 123-119.
• Herbert Jones scored a career high 35 points and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Memphis Grizzlies in overtime 138-131.
• Bobby Portis had a double-double of 27 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the Chicago Bulls 105-92.
• Malcolm Brogdon’s 29 points lifted the Boston Celtics over the Toronto Raptors 97-93.
• Trae Young had 25 points and 16 assists as the Atlanta Hawks blew out the Washington Wizards 134-116.
• Immanuel Quickley put in 39 points to lead the New York Knicks past the Indiana Pacers 138-129.
• Norman Powell led the Los Angeles Clippers with 27 points as they went on to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-118.

Thursday (4/6)

• Tyler Herro dropped 24 points to lead the Miami Heat past the Philadelphia 76ers 129-101.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 114-98 led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 22 points.
• Kevin Durant led the Phoenix Suns with 29 points as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 119-115.

Friday (4/7)

• Jaden Ivey had 29 points and 9 assists to push the Detroit Pistons past the Indiana Pacers 122-115.
• Sam Hauser of the Boston Celtics had a career high 26 points in a 121-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
• Mikal Bridges’ 22 points led the Brooklyn Nets past the Orlando Magic 101-84.
• Jaren Jackson Jr had 36 points as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated Milwaukee Bucks 137-114.
• Trey Murphy III scored 31 points and the New Orleans Pelicans won against the New York Knicks 113-105.
• Klay Thompson led all scorers with 29 points and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 119-97.
• D’Angelo Russell led the Los Angeles Lakers in scoring with 24 points and helped defeat the Phoenix Suns 121-107.

Saturday (4/8)

• Ochai Agbaji scored a career high 28 points and the Utah Jazz defeated the Denver Nuggets 118-114.
• Anthony Edwards had 33 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the San Antonio Spurs 151-131.
• Kawhi Leonard led the Los Angeles Clippers with 27 points as they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 136-125.

Sunday (4/9)

• Payton Pritchard recorded his first triple double (30,14 and 11) and the Boston Celtics won against the Atlanta Hawks 120-114.
• Mark Williams had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95.
• Udonis Haslem scored 24 points in his final career home game for the Miami Heat and they cruised past the Orlando Magic 123-110.
• Bennedict Mathurin scored 26 points and the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 141-136.
• Gary Trent Jr. had 23 points to lead the Toronto Raptors over the Milwaukee Bucks 121-105.
• Anthony Edwards had 26 points and 13 rebounds to give the Minnesota Timberwolves a 113-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
• Norman Powell dropped 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Phoenix Suns 119-114.
• Stephen Curry had 26 points as the Golden State Warriors demolished the Portland Trail Blazers 157-101.
• LeBron James scored 36 points and hit 8 three pointers to lead the Los Angeles Lakers over the Utah Jazz 128-117.