Updated 2025 NBA Playoff Picture, Bracket, Standings After Clippers, Wolves Clinch

The Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves have clinched the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference after Sunday's wild finish to the 2024-25 regular season.

The Timberwolves dominated the Utah Jazz 116-105, while the Clippers outlasted the Golden State Warriors in a 124-119 overtime victory. The Warriors will now be the No. 7 seed in the play-in tournament.

Here's a look at the latest NBA playoff brackets and standings after Minnesota made the postseason.

Western Conference Bracket

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) vs. No. 8 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 2 Houston Rockets (52-30) vs. No. 7 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)

No. 4 Denver Nuggets (50-32) vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (50-32)

Western Conference Standings

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14)
2. Houston Rockets (52-30)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-32)
4. Denver Nuggets (50-32)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (50-32)
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)
7. Golden State Warriors (48-34)
8. Memphis Grizzlies (48-34)
9. Sacramento Kings (40-42)
10. Dallas Mavericks (39-43)
11. Phoenix Suns (36-46)
12. Portland Trail Blazers (36-46)
13. San Antonio Spurs (34-48)
14. New Orleans Pelicans (21-61)
15. Utah Jazz (17-65)

Eastern Conference Bracket

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18) vs. No. 8 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 2 Boston Celtics (61-21) vs. No. 7 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 3 New York Knicks (51-31) vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons (44-38)

No. 4 Indiana Pacers (50-32) vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (48-34)

Eastern Conference Standings

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18)
2. Boston Celtics (61-21)
3. New York Knicks (51-31)
4. Indiana Pacers (50-32)
5. Milwaukee Bucks (48-34)
6. Detroit Pistons (44-38)
7. Orlando Magic (41-41)
8. Atlanta Hawks (40-42)
9. Chicago Bulls (39-43)
10. Miami Heat (37-45)
11. Toronto Raptors (30-52)
12. Brooklyn Nets (26-56)
13. Philadelphia 76ers (24-58)
14. Charlotte Hornets (19-63)
15. Washington Wizards (18-64)

The Clippers will certainly benefit from the extra week of rest. Veteran stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden have been known for their amazing playoff performances, so they will be in top form when they open the postseason.

It's been a trying season in Minnesota to say the least.

Before the 2024-25 campaign began, the Timberwolves traded former franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in a deal that brought back Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

It was a puzzling move from the Timberwolves' perspective considering that Minnesota had gone 56-26 the year before and upset the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. Hopes were high for another great season after the team had just made the Western Conference Finals for just the second time in franchise history.

However, there were financial implications in play here, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted in a long article explaining why both teams made the move.

"Minnesota, a franchise that has generally operated frugally for decades, was facing heavy losses this season, sources said, because of a whopper of a luxury tax bill coming due with new contracts for Towns and Anthony Edwards. But it isn't just about this year; the next few years are potentially monetarily punishing," Windhorst said in part.

There's more to it, but the bottom line is that Minnesota had to make a move that wasn't necessarily in the best interests of the team's basketball future.

Of course, Randle and DiVincenzo are good players in their own right, though, so hope reigned that Minnesota could make it work.

In the end, it has been a challenging road, albeit one that was far rockier in the beginning. Minnesota started 17-17 but has been stacking wins since, including a pair of five-game win streaks and a seven-game win streak.

One of the five-gamers ended in brutal fashion, though, with Minnesota blowing a 95-71 fourth-quarter lead en route to a 110-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on April 8.

Still, this team has leftover talent from the conference finals team, most notably Edwards, a superstar who could very well be an MVP someday. Making a deep playoff run could be an uphill battle, though, especially in a brutally tough West.