With the Indiana Pacers` defeat by the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks` victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Eastern Conference playoff and play-in seeds are now finalized, along with the first-round pairings. The Western Conference picture is less defined, but Friday night provided some clarity as the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 3 seed with a dominant win against the Houston Rockets. The top three seeds in the West are now confirmed: Thunder, Rockets, and Lakers, in that order.
Following these top seeds, the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves, or Grizzlies could secure seeds four through six. Two of these teams will participate in the Play-In Tournament. Memphis, currently No. 8, requires significant assistance after their Friday night loss in Denver, while Denver is in a strong position for the No. 4 seed.
All teams have one regular season game remaining on Sunday. The Warriors and Clippers both won on Friday, setting up a crucial head-to-head game at 3:30 PM ET on Sunday. This game will significantly impact the final Western Conference seedings.
Confirmed Playoff Spots
- All Eastern Conference seeds are locked.
- The Thunder, Rockets, and Lakers have secured the top three seeds in the Western Conference, in order.
- The Kings and Mavericks are confirmed for the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.
Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament Games
- No. 7 Orlando Magic vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
- No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Miami Heat
Eastern Conference First Round Matchups
- No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Play-In Winner (Magic/Hawks/Bulls/Heat)
- No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Play-In Winner (Magic/Hawks)
- No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons
- No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks
Western Conference Play-In Tournament Games
*If the season ended today…
- No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
- No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Dallas Mavericks
Western Conference First Round Matchups
*If the season ended today…
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Play-In Winner (Timberwolves/Grizzlies/Kings/Mavericks)
No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Play-In Winner (Timberwolves/Grizzlies)
No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
Entering the final day of the regular season on Sunday, here are the current 2024-25 NBA playoff standings.
Eastern Conference Standings
| Rank | Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland – x | 64 | 17 | — |
| 2 | Boston – x | 60 | 21 | 4.0 |
| 3 | New York – x | 50 | 31 | 13.0 |
| 4 | Indiana – x | 49 | 32 | 14.0 |
| 5 | Milwaukee – x | 47 | 34 | 17.0 |
| 6 | Detroit – x | 44 | 37 | 19.0 |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Orlando | 41 | 40 | 23.0 |
| 8 | Atlanta | 39 | 42 | 25.0 |
| 9 | Chicago | 38 | 43 | 26.0 |
| 10 | Miami | 37 | 44 | 27.0 |
Western Conference Standings
| Rank | Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City – x | 67 | 14 | — |
| 2 | Houston – x | 52 | 29 | 13.0 |
| 3 | L.A. Lakers – x | 50 | 31 | 17.0 |
| 4 | Denver | 49 | 32 | 18.0 |
| 5 | L.A. Clippers | 49 | 32 | 18.0 |
| 6 | Golden St. | 48 | 33 | 19.0 |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Minnesota | 48 | 33 | 19.0 |
| 8 | Memphis | 47 | 34 | 19.0 |
| 9 | Sacramento | 39 | 42 | 27.0 |
| 10 | Dallas | 39 | 42 | 28.0 |
x = clinched playoff spot
Reminder: the top six teams in each conference automatically qualify for the 16-team playoffs. The remaining four playoff spots will be decided through the Play-In Tournament, featuring teams ranked 7-10 in each conference. The seventh-placed team will host the eighth-placed team to compete for the No. 7 seed. The loser of that game will then play the winner of the game between the ninth and tenth-placed teams for the No. 8 seed.
Tiebreaker Rules
Here’s a summary of the NBA playoff tiebreaker procedures:
Here is a list of teams currently holding key head-to-head tiebreakers:
- The Lakers have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves, and Grizzlies.
- The Nuggets have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Warriors.
- The Clippers have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Warriors and Grizzlies.
- The Grizzlies have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Timberwolves.
- The Warriors have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Timberwolves and Grizzlies.
- The Timberwolves have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Nuggets and Clippers.
- The Kings have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mavericks.
Key Dates for the 2025 NBA Playoffs
- April 13: Regular Season Final Day
- April 15-18: Play-In Tournament
- April 19: Playoffs Begin
- May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
- June 5: NBA Finals Begin
Jasper Hawthorne