The final day of the 2024-25 NBA regular season will feature several high-stakes matchups.
While the regular season is winding down, the playoff picture is far from set, specifically in the Western Conference. The West’s top three seeds are locked in, but four teams are vying for the remaining three spots in the conference’s top six. Whoever falls out will face the Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament.
The postseason picture in the Eastern Conference is set. In the first round, the No. 3 Knicks will face the No. 6 Pistons, and the No. 4 Pacers will face the No. 5 Bucks. The Cavs and the Celtics are the East’s top-two seeds, and the Play-In Tournament is set with a Hawks-Magic 7-vs-8 game and a Heat-Bulls 9-vs-10 game.
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The West is much trickier — there are no set matchups, just the Thunder, Rockets, and Lakers holding the top three seeds. The Grizzlies are locked into the Play-In Tournament but their opponent is unknown. The Mavericks and Kings will meet in the 9-vs-10 game, but the host team is to be determined based on the standings.
As such, there are several clinching scenarios tied to Sunday’s slate of 15 games. Here is everything to know about the games that have a direct bearing on the standings and playoff picture.
SN’s NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | NBA Playoff bracket
What NBA games are on today?
Games of significance to the standings are listed in bold.
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Magic at Hawks | 1 p.m. | — |
| Hornets at Celtics | 1 p.m. | — |
| Knicks at Nets | 1 p.m. | — |
| Pacers at Cavaliers | 1 p.m. | — |
| Wizards at Heat | 1 p.m. | — |
| Bulls at 76ers | 1 p.m. | — |
| Pistons at Bucks | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Nuggets at Rockets | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Mavericks at Grizzlies | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Jazz at Timberwolves | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Thunder at Pelicans | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Raptors at Spurs | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Clippers at Warriors | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Lakers at Trail Blazers | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Suns at Kings | 3:30 p.m. | — |
Today’s NBA playoff clinching scenarios
The East is set but based on a list of scenarios outlined by John Hollinger of The Athletic, what happens in the West revolves around the Timberwolves, who are in the driver’s seat for a top-six spot with a win. Minnesota closes its season by hosting the 17-64 Jazz.
Here is a look at what could still happen in the standings:
East
- No. 1 seed: Cavaliers
- No. 2 seed: Celtics
- No. 3 seed: Knicks
- No. 4 seed: Pacers
- No. 5 seed: Bucks
- No. 6 seed: Pistons
- No. 7 seed: Magic
- No. 8 seed: Hawks
- No. 9 seed: Bulls
- No. 10 seed: Heat
West
- No. 1 seed: Thunder
- No. 2 seed: Rockets
- No. 3 seed: Lakers
- No. 4 seed: Clippers, Nuggets or Timberwolves
- No. 5 seed: Clippers, Nuggets or Timberwolves
- No. 6 seed: Timberwolves or Warriors
- No. 7 seed: Clippers, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Timberwolves or Warriors
- No. 8 seed: Grizzlies or Timberwolves
With the Grizzlies locked into the Play-In Tournament, playoff scenarios and discussions revolve around what happens with the Timberwolves.Â
If the Timberwolves lose, they will face the Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament. The following are scenarios spell out what would happen IF Minnesota defeats Utah on Sunday.
Note: The Warriors face the Clippers on Sunday, April 13. In each scenario, a Warriors win equals a Clippers loss, and Clippers win equals a Warriors loss.
If Timberwolves, Clippers and Nuggets win…
- (3) Lakers vs. (6) Timberwolves
- (4) Nuggets vs. (5) Clippers
- Play-In: (7) Warriors vs. (8) Grizzlies
If Timberwolves, Warriors and Nuggets win…
- (3) Lakers vs. (6) Warriors
- (4) Nuggets vs. (5) Timberwolves
- Play-In (7) Clippers vs. (8) Grizzlies
If Timberwolves and Clippers win but Nuggets lose…
- (3) Lakers vs. (6) Nuggets
- (4) Clippers vs. (5) Timberwolves
- Play-In: (7) Warriors vs. (8) Grizzlies
If Timberwolves and Warriors win but Nuggets lose…
- (3) Lakers vs. (6) Warriors
- (4) Timberwolves vs. (5) Clippers
- Play-In: (7) Nuggets vs. (8) Grizzlies
MORE:Â Everything to know about NBA tiebreaking scenarios
Updated NBA Playoff standings 2025
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cavaliers* | 64-17 | — |
| 2. | Celtics* | 60-21 | 4.0 |
| 3. | Knicks* | 50-31 | 14.0 |
| 4. | Pacers* | 49-32 | 15.0 |
| 5. | Bucks* | 47-34 | 17.0 |
| 6. | Pistons* | 44-37 | 20.0 |
| 7. | Magic** | 41-40 | 23.0 |
| 8. | Hawks** | 39-42 | 25.0 |
| 9. | Bulls** | 38-43 | 26.0 |
| 10. | Heat** | 36-44 | 27.0 |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thunder* | 67-14 | — |
| 2. | Rockets* | 52-29 | 15.0 |
| 3. | Lakers* | 50-31 | 17.0 |
| 4. | Nuggets | 49-32 | 18.0 |
| 5. | Clippers | 49-32 | 18.0 |
| 6. | Warriors | 48-33 | 19.0 |
| 7. | Timberwolves | 48-33 | 19.0 |
| 8. | Grizzlies | 47-34 | 20.0 |
| 9. | Kings** | 39-42 | 28.0 |
| 10. | Mavericks** | 39-42 | 28.0 |
NBA Playoffs and Play-In Tournament bracket
Here are the confirmed matchups for this year’s postseason
Eastern Conference
- (1) Cavaliers vs. (8) Play-In Winner
- (2) Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner
- (3) Knicks vs. (6) Pistons
- (4) Pacers vs. (5) Bucks
Western Conference
- (1) Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner
- (2) Rockets vs (7) Play-In Winner
- (3) Lakers vs. (6) TBD
- (4) TBD vs. (5) TBD
NBA Play-In Tournament bracket 2025
Eastern Conference
- (7) Magic vs. (8) Hawks
- (9) Bulls vs. (10) Heat
Western Conference
- (7) Grizzlies vs. (8) TBD or (7) TBD vs. (8) Grizzlies
- (9) Kings vs. (10) Mavericks or (9) Mavericks vs. (10) Kings
When do the NBA Playoffs start
- Play-In Tournament:Â April 15-18
- NBA Playoffs:Â April 19
The 2024-25 regular season will end on Sunday, April 13, and the Play-In Tournament will then begin two days later on Tuesday, April 15. From there, the Play-In Tournament will take place over the next four days, with the playoffs set to begin on Saturday, April 19.
How will the 2025 NBA Playoffs work?
The following showcases how the NBA Playoffs will unfold:
- Once the regular season ends, the top six seeds in each conference will automatically make the playoffs, while the teams ranked Nos. 7-10 will participate in the NBA Play-In Tournament over the course of four days.
- In each conference, the teams ranked Nos. 7 and 8 will play, with the winner moving on to play the No. 2 seed in each conference.
- Additionally, the teams ranked Nos. 9 and 10 will play in a different game, with the loser being eliminated from playoff contention.
- Finally, the loser of the 7-8 game and the winner of the 9-10 game will play, with the winner earning the final seed in each conference and moving on to play each conference’s No. 1 seed.
- From there, the playoffs will follow the usual bracket format, with each series being a best-of-7 format.
