The NBA regular season has wrapped up, and now the real excitement begins. After 82 games of battling it out on the court, teams are gearing up for the intensity of playoff basketball.
NBA Play-in Tournament
The Eastern Conference playoff picture was settled early, but the West came down to the final night with some serious drama.
Golden State’s overtime loss to the Clippers on Sunday cost them dearly. Instead of securing a direct playoff spot, they’re now headed to the play-in tournament.
The Warriors will face the Grizzlies in a high-stakes matchup, hoping to avoid the same disappointment as last year when they were knocked out before the playoffs even started.
Meanwhile, the banged-up Dallas Mavericks earned a play-in game against the Kings. The winner of that contest will take on whoever loses the Warriors-Grizzlies showdown.
- Golden State Warriors (7) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8) – winner advances to face Houston Rockets
- Sacramento Kings (9) vs. Dallas Mavericks (10) – winner advances to play loser of 7 vs. 8
Things were much calmer in the East on Sunday. The Hawks, Bulls, and Heat already knew they’d be in the play-in tournament, so their star players got some well-deserved rest over the weekend.
- Orlando Magic (7) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8) – winner advances to face Boston Celtics
- Chicago Bulls (9) vs. Miami Heat (10) – winner advances to play loser of 7 vs. 8
The NBA’s taking just a single day off before jumping into postseason action. The 7-8 seed matchups tip off Tuesday night, while the 9-10 games happen Wednesday.
NBA Playoff bracket
Six teams from each conference already have their playoff spots locked in and are preparing for next weekend’s action.
The first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs kicks off Saturday, April 19th, featuring the 3-6 seed matchups from both conferences.
Sunday’s games will showcase the top seeds, with play-in winners getting an extra day to recover before their first-round battles.
The Playoff Picture heading into the last day of the NBA regular season!
Watch all 30 teams in action today starting at 1:00pm/et on ESPN and NBA League Pass to see how the final bracket shakes out pic.twitter.com/4dWKTcwIal
— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2025
Western Conference
- Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. No. 7, 8, 9 OR 10 seed
- Houston Rockets (2) vs. Golden State Warriors OR Memphis Grizzlies
- Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
- Denver Nuggets (4) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (5)
Eastern Conference
- Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. No. 7, 8, 9 OR 10 seed
- Boston Celtics (2) vs. Orlando Magic OR Atlanta Hawks
- New York Knicks (3) vs. Detroit Pistons (6)
- Indiana Pacers (4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5)
The regular season might be over, but for these teams, the journey’s just beginning. Who’ll rise to the occasion when the pressure’s really on?
