NBA Playoff Picture 2025: Standings, Bracket Predictions After Suns vs. Lakers
Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers ended a four-game skid on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.
The win was vital for the Lakers to stop their slide down the Western Conference standings.
Doncic and Co. are back up to a 1.5-game advantage over the Golden State Warriors for the No. 5 seed.
On the other hand, Phoenix is still on the outside looking in at the top 10 places in the West.
The Suns are 1.5 games back of the struggling Dallas Mavericks for the final spot in the play-in round.
The assumption is the Suns will eventually take over the Mavs' spot, but the games are winding down for that to happen.
Eastern Conference
1 of 2
No .1 Cleveland (56-11)
No .2 Boston (49-19)
No. 3 New York (42-24)
No. 4 Milwaukee (38-28)
No. 5 Indiana (37-29)
No. 6 Detroit (37-31)
Play-In Race
No. 7 Atlanta (32-35)
No. 8 Orlando (32-37)
No. 9 Miami (29-38)
No. 10 Chicago (28-39)
No. 11 Toronto (24-43)
The Orlando Magic made some noise on Sunday by ending the Cleveland Cavaliers' 15-game winning streak.
The victory helped the Magic in their hunt for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Paolo Banchero and Co. are two games back of the Atlanta Hawks in the loss column. They have a favorable stretch coming up with five of their next seven games at home.
Conversely, Atlanta plays five of its next seven games on the road and one of the home contests during that stretch comes against the Golden State Warriors.
The Miami Heat have a chance to open up a gap in the hunt for the No. 9 seed in the next two weeks since the Chicago Bulls play their next five games on the road against Western Conference teams.
Prediction
- Cleveland
- Boston
- New York
- Milwaukee
- Indiana
- Detroit
- Orlando
- Atlanta
Western Conference
2 of 2
No. 1 Oklahoma City (55-12)
No. 2 Houston (43-25)
No. 3 Denver (43-25)
No. 4 Memphis (43-25)
No. 5 Los Angeles Lakers (41-25)
No. 6 Golden State (39-28)
Play-In Race
No. 7 Minnesota (39-29)
No. 8 LA Clippers (37-30)
No. 9 Sacramento (33-33)
No. 10 Dallas (33-36)
No. 11 Phoenix (31-37)
The Lakers put an end to their four-game losing run on Sunday to kick off a five-game home stand.
Luka Doncic and Co. only have two tough games against the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks during that stretch, so there is an opportunity for them to gain some ground back in the race for the No. 2 seed, which is wide open at the moment.
Denver has a big week ahead with road games against Golden State and the Lakers, but after that, it has a relatively easy schedule that could open up some room before it finishes with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.
Phoenix is still on the outside of the play-in race, but it should find a way above the cut-off line given the situation facing the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas is 1-8 in its last nine games and it plays five of its next six games on the road.
The Suns start a five-game home run against Toronto and Chicago this week. Two wins in those games should be enough to help with the springboard over the Mavericks for the No. 10 spot.
Predictions
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