Sports
NBA Playoff Picture Tightens with Final Regular Season Days
LOS ANGELES, California — With just five days left in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, playoff positioning remains uncertain, particularly in the Western Conference where six teams are fighting for the final spots. The Los Angeles Lakers, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, have already clinched their playoff berths, but the remaining four places are still up for grabs.
As it stands, the Lakers lead a tightly grouped pack that includes the Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies, all within two games of each other. The final playoff bracket will be solidified by Sunday night, heightening the competitive spirit in these crucial late-game matchups.
On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers secured the Eastern Conference top seed, their 63rd victory of the season. The other five teams in the East have also assured themselves of playoff slots: the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and the likely seventh-seeded team from the Play-In Tournament.
The Cavaliers’ dominance contrasts with the fiercer competition in the West. Currently, the Thunder hold a narrow lead for the West’s No. 3 seed, with the Clippers making a significant leap to fourth place after a win against the Nuggets. All four teams currently share a record of 47-32, with the Lakers sitting at 48-30, just ahead of the pack. The Timberwolves lag slightly behind at 46-31.
The playoff brackets are becoming clearer. If the playoffs began today, the East’s first-round matchups would feature:
- Cavaliers vs. Magic/Hawks/Bulls/Heat
- Celtics vs. Magic/Hawks
- Knicks vs. Pistons
- Pacers vs. Bucks
In the Western Conference, potential first-round matchups include:
- Thunder vs. Grizzlies/Timberwolves/Kings/Mavericks
- Rockets vs. Grizzlies/Timberwolves
- Lakers vs. Warriors
- Clippers vs. Nuggets
Playoff chances are critical, especially for teams ranked seventh through tenth in their respective conferences. Simulation data has the seventh-place teams featuring the Grizzlies and Timberwolves each with only a marginal chance of missing out on the playoffs based on current performances.
Notably, playoff seeding relies heavily on a complex tiebreaker system. For two-way ties, the team winning the season series secures a higher seed. In more complicated scenarios involving multiple teams, the league evaluates division rankings, conference records, and performance against top-tier opponents to determine standings.
As the season draws to a close, the stakes have never been higher, especially with pivotal games scheduled in the coming days. A must-watch game on Tuesday pits the Lakers against the Thunder, who have already snagged the top seed. Meanwhile, the Clippers are set to face off with various teams aiming to solidify their playoff statuses. The coming days will determine who claims the last playoff spots in both conferences, creating a thrilling end to the regular season.
