Tim BontempsApr 12, 2025, 11:13 PM ET
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- Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA creator for ESPN.com who covers the league and what is impacting it off and on the courtroom, together with business cut-off date intel, enlargement and his MVP Straw Polls. You’ll be able to to find Tim along Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.
With 81 video games within the books for each NBA staff, there may be nonetheless masses to play for heading into Sunday, the overall day of regular-season motion.
Even after 1,215 video games were performed, there are nonetheless a number of positions in each the playoff and lottery standings that stay up for grabs as all 30 groups take the ground for his or her 82nd and ultimate recreation of the season.
For some groups, it will mark the start of the offseason and the wait to look the place the pingpong balls will land within the NBA draft lottery on Would possibly 12. For others, it is just the start of what they hope will likely be a two-month-long odyssey throughout the playoffs that can finish with one staff elevating the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
With all of that during thoughts, here is what’s at stake because the steady season involves an in depth, starting within the wide-open West:
Soar to a bit:
West | East
Draft lottery
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Jaylin Williams tosses it off the glass to himself for slam
Jaylin Williams tosses it off the glass to himself for slam
Western Convention
Who is locked in?
1. Oklahoma Town Thunder
The Thunder have lengthy been locked into the highest spot no longer simply within the convention, however within the NBA, and they’re assured home-court benefit all the way through the playoffs. With a victory Sunday in New Orleans, they might grow to be the 7th staff in NBA historical past to win no less than 68 video games in a season.
2. Houston Rockets
Like OKC, the Rockets were settled into the second one spot for a while now, capping off one of the vital spectacular and sudden campaigns within the NBA via locking in home-court benefit around the opening two rounds. Houston could have a significant phase to play in how the remainder of issues shake out, then again (extra in this underneath).
3. Los Angeles Lakers
With Friday’s win over Houston, the Lakers are locked into the 3rd seed. However the Lakers, just like the Thunder and Rockets forward of them, are looking ahead to the chaos to shake out within the backside of the West bracket.
What is left to be made up our minds
In brief: the whole thing else!
4. Denver Nuggets
Denver controls its future. If the Nuggets beat the Rockets — who’re locked into the No. 2 seed — a chaotic week for the franchise will finish with securing home-court benefit within the first around.
5. LA Clippers
Editor’s Selections
2 Similar
It is a identical trail for the Clippers, who gained in Sacramento on Friday to position themselves at the verge of locking in a playoff spot. In contrast to Denver, then again, the Clippers have a miles harder check forward: a recreation in San Francisco in opposition to the Warriors.
A win, coupled with a Denver loss, approach the Clippers can be fourth. A win and a Denver win approach the Clippers would face the Nuggets within the first around. A loss would most probably push the Clippers into the play-in.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves would were in place for home-court benefit had they no longer given up a 24-point second-half result in the Dollars previous this week. Nonetheless, if Minnesota can beat the Utah Jazz, they are going to ensure a top-six spot within the West. (And, due to season sweeps over the Nuggets and Clippers, Minnesota may snatch the fourth seed if each groups in entrance of them lose Sunday.)
Now, this is the place issues get sophisticated, because the overdue slate of video games will come to a decision who remains out of the West play-in.
7. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors, just like the Wolves, have their very own recreation to kick themselves over heading into the overall day, after Harrison Barnes hit a game-winning 3-pointer to overcome his former staff Wednesday night time. Nonetheless, after beating Portland on Friday, Golden State enters Sunday wanting a win to ensure a top-six spot within the West.
If the Warriors and Wolves win, the Wolves would end 5th, the Warriors 6th and the Clippers 7th, via distinctive feature of head-to-head report between the 3 groups.
Golden State, due to the head-to-head tiebreaker over Memphis, can not end less than 7th, securing no less than the danger to host the primary play-in recreation.
8. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies had an opportunity to create a fair larger standings mess via defeating the Nuggets on Friday night time. That loss, then again, approach the Grizzlies — who host Dallas — want lend a hand to get out of the 8th spot.
Now Memphis can not get away the play-in. However the Grizzlies can transfer into 7th if Minnesota loses to the cellar-dwelling Jazz. Memphis will both commute to Golden State or host Minnesota, because the Wolves would end 8th in that doable three-way tie.
9. Sacramento Kings, 10. Dallas Mavericks
Let’s get to the (quite) easy equation for the West’s ultimate two postseason spots.
The Kings and Mavericks input Sunday tied within the standings after the Kings misplaced to the LA Clippers and the Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors on Friday night time.
The Kings, then again, keep an eye on their future. By way of sweeping the Mavericks within the steady season, Sacramento wishes a win over Phoenix — or a Dallas loss — to safe a house recreation for the 9-10 play-in matchup.
Jap Convention
What is locked in:
The entirety! Remarkably, Friday’s effects locked in all 10 spots within the East postseason:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Boston Celtics
3. New York Knicks
4. Indiana Pacers
5. Milwaukee Dollars
6. Detroit Pistons
7. Orlando Magic
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Chicago Bulls
10. Miami Warmth
Draft lottery standings
1/2. Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards
After the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards each misplaced Friday, they input Sunday’s motion tied for the league’s worst report at 17-64. If the 2 groups end tied — Utah performs in Minnesota, whilst Washington performs in Miami — a coin turn will resolve which staff will fit in upper if neither strikes up within the draft (the highest 3 groups within the lottery all have the similar odds, in order that may not exchange both method).
3. Charlotte Hornets
4. New Orleans Pelicans
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Toronto Raptors
8. San Antonio Spurs
The following six groups in the back of the Jazz and Wizards are all locked into place. The staff impacted probably the most via this is Philadelphia, which locked itself formally into the 5th spot regardless of its loss to Atlanta on Friday. Philadelphia will now stay its top-six secure first-round select until a couple of groups in the back of the 76ers leap them in subsequent month’s draft lottery. If that occurs, and the select lands at No. 7 or decrease, it is going to move to the Oklahoma Town Thunder as a part of the Al Horford-Danny Inexperienced business 5 years in the past.
9/10. Portland Path Blazers and Phoenix Suns
At the ultimate day of the steady season, the Blazers are enjoying the Lakers, who’re locked into the No. 3 seed, and the Suns are enjoying the Kings, who’re combating for playoff positioning. If each groups lose, a coin turn will resolve which ones will select forward of the opposite within the lottery if neither strikes up, regardless that the pingpong balls will likely be flippantly cut up between them.
Phoenix, then again, does not keep an eye on its draft select. The Houston Rockets bought it from the Brooklyn Nets ultimate offseason in a deal that gave Brooklyn again keep an eye on of its 2025 and 2026 alternatives. Houston may finally end up with a greater select than Brooklyn on this 12 months’s draft with some average lottery success.
11. Miami Warmth
The Warmth are in a fascinating place: not anything to play for within the standings so far as transferring out of tenth, giving them each reason why to lose to Washington and make sure they keep within the eleventh lottery spot. Washington, then again, may be incentivized to fasten in its personal draft positioning.
12. Chicago Bulls
13. Atlanta Hawks
14. Dallas Mavericks
15. Sacramento Kings
The Kings owe the Hawks their select if it lands out of doors the highest 12. But when the Kings beat the Suns and lock themselves into the 9th spot within the play-in standings, losses via the Hawks and Mavericks would imply Sacramento will select no upper than thirteenth if the Kings do not advance out of the play-in.
A loss via the Kings would put them in place to stay their select — both outright, if Atlanta or Dallas wins, or by way of coin turn in the event that they lose. It additionally may grow to be a four-way tie if the Bulls win and the Hawks, Mavericks and Kings all lose. That situation would give Sacramento as much as 3 possibilities to transport up by way of coin turn and stay its select.
16. Orlando Magic
