Latest 2025 NBA Playoff Bracket Picture, Play-In Race and Elimination Scenarios
The NBA's regular season is winding down and while we know several teams who are securely in the playoffs and will compete for the Larry O'Brien trophy, there are several teams still battling for the right to compete in the Play-In tournament.
Some are under-performing squads, others exceeding expectations to be in the conversation at all.
Who are they and what does the current bracket look like approaching the conclusion of the regular season slate?
Find out with this playoff preview.
Current Bracket Match-Ups
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Eastern Conference
1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8 TBD via Play In Tournament
2 Boston Celtics vs. 7 Play In Tournament
3 New York Knicks vs. 6 Milwaukee Bucks
4 Indiana Pacers vs 5 Detroit Pistons
Western Conference
1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8 TBD via Play In Tournament
2 Houston Rockets vs. 7 TBD via Play In Tournament
3 Denver Nuggets vs. 6 Golden State Warriors
4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5 Memphis Grizzlies
Eastern Conference Play In Picture
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The race in the Eastern Conference for the final Play-In Tournament spots is down to three middling squads in the Bulls, Heat, and Raptors.
All things considered, Chicago has outperformed expectations, staying alive this late in the season and remaining a potential playoff team. Believed to be in rebuild mode after DeMar DeRozan left for Sacramento in the off-season, the team has done everything it could to remain in postseason contention.
Despite losses in their last two, they are 6-4 in their last 10 and are currently clinging to the last spot in the tournament. Coby White leads the team with 20.3 points in 34.1 minutes, Nikola Vucevic leads in rebounds, and the addition of Josh Giddy has proven fruitful as he is tops in assists and steals and delivered a buzzer-beating dagger to push the Bulls past the Lakers on March 27.
The Bulls currently share a greater-than 99 percent chance of making the Buy In according to ESPN Analytics, as do the team slightly ahead of them in the standings, the Miami Heat.
The Heat, like the Bulls, are a surprise in that they appeared to be on the way down when they traded Jimmy Butler prior to the deadline. Instead, they have won five straight to stay at No. 9 in the standings and firmly in Play-In contention.
Tyler Herro leads in points and assists while Bam Adebayo is first in rebounds and steals, providing a one-two punch for a scrappy team that may not be a championship contender but could be a fun, problematic match-up for the No. 1 seed Cavaliers if they advance out of the tournament.
The Raptors are still alive in the race but at five games behind the Bulls, will likely run out of time to make a serious push to the postseason.
Western Conference Playoff Picture
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The Play In picture in the Western Conference is much less settled than in the East. The Mavericks, Kings, Suns, Trailblazers, and Spurs are all still alive for a chance to sneak into the postseason and potentially create chaos via upsets.
Things have been eventual for Dallas, in all the worst ways possible following the inconceivable trade of Luka Dončić and several injuries to key players, but the Mavs are surprisingly in the battle for a spot in the Play-In and currently carry an 86 percent chance of clinching a spot in the postseason dance.
Some of that can be attributed to the the determination of the players as key addition . Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL on March 4 and will miss the rest of the season, making Dallas' playoff contention that much more surprising.
Sacramento is a game up on the Suns but sit at 84 percent likelihood to make the postseason compared to Phoenix's 29 percent. The Blazers and Spurs are further long shots but have not yet been eliminated.
DeRozan has been the driving force behind the Kings remaining in the hunt, with 22.1 points. The midseason addition of Zach LaVine via trade with Chicago and his 21 points per game have not hurt.
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