2025 NBA Playoff Bracket Predictions: Lakers vs. Clippers Could Be Best Round 1 Series
With college basketball now officially over, all hoops eyes are set on the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Teams have just a few contests left to secure their final positioning, especially in the Western Conference where the Nos. 2 and 8 seeds are separated by just two games.
Based on current records, players missing due to injury, remaining opponents and other factors, here's a final projection of the 2025 NBA playoff bracket.
East: (4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Detroit Pistons
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Indiana Pacers
Current Record/Seed: 47-31, 4th in East
The Pacers are getting hot at the right time, going 12-3 over their last 15 games and opening up a three-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 4 seed in the East.
We can safely say Indiana will remain here, even with a pair of games remaining against the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pacers have been a top-8 team in both offense and defense over this stretch, setting themselves up for another potential long playoff run.
Detroit Pistons
Current Record/Seed: 43-36, 6th in East
Detroit has cooled off slightly as of late (8-7 over its last 15 games) but possesses a health advantage over the Bucks for the final stretch of games with Damian Lillard out due to deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.
The two teams play each other twice before the end of the regular season, giving Detroit a chance to jump Milwaukee (currently 1.5 games back) and control its own destiny.
The Pistons make their return to the postseason for the first time in six years against their division rivals to the southwest.
East: (3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks
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New York Knicks
Current Record/Seed: 50-28, 3rd in East
The journey hasn't always been pretty, but the Knicks are still going to come out of the 2024-25 regular season with 50-plus wins and the No. 3 seed in the East.
Jalen Brunson is back following an ankle injury that caused him to miss a month's worth of games, adding 26.1 points and 7.4 assists per game back into New York's lineup. The Knicks did manage a respectable 10-6 record this season without their captain.
Even with the Indiana Pacers playing really good basketball right now, New York isn't blowing a three-game lead with just four contests left to play.
Milwaukee Bucks
Current Record/Seed: 44-34, 5th in East
A Bucks-Knicks first-round matchup is extremely tasty, especially if Damian Lillard can return in time.
In the meantime, we're projecting the Bucks to fall a spot in the standings, especially with three challenging games (Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons twice) ahead of them.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has upped his playmaking in Lillard's absence (8.1 assists per game to go along with 32.5 points and 11.1 rebounds), but he will need his co-star to remain in the fifth seed.
East: (2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Orlando Magic
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Boston Celtics
Current Record/Seed: 58-20, 2nd in East
The defending champions have narrowed the gap on the Cleveland Cavaliers but will ultimately fall short and have to travel to Northeast Ohio to begin a potential East Finals clash.
Boston has been hot as of late, going an NBA-best 13-2 over its last 15 games and appears to be hitting the switch with the postseason quickly approaching.
A long-comfortable lead over the New York Knicks has now ballooned to eight games, securing the No. 2 spot for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co.
Orlando Magic
Current Record/Seed: 38-40, 7th in East
There's little drama here as the four East play-in teams are already set. Orlando has played good basketball lately (9-6 over its last 15) and should come away victorious in the 7-8 matchup for the right to play Boston in Round 1.
There's a drastic difference in play style here, as the Magic rank dead-last in made threes per game (11.1) compared to the Celtics who just set the NBA record for most long-range makes in a season.
This won't be a lengthy series, especially with Jalen Suggs lost for the season. Orlando has to muddy the game up and hope Boston has a cold shooting night to even win a game here.
East: (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Chicago Bulls
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Current Record/Seed: 62-16, 1st in East
The last month hasn't been pretty, but the Cavaliers have already reached the second-highest win total in the 55-year history of the franchise.
Cleveland has gone a modest 9-6 over its last 15 games with a leaky defense, although the return of Ty Jerome from knee tendonitis has this team healthy heading into the playoffs.
The Cavs will surrender a potential NBA Finals home-court advantage to the Oklahoma City Thunder but will begin every other series at Rocket Arena.
Chicago Bulls
Current Record/Seed: 36-42, 9th in East
Don't sleep on Chicago.
The Bulls have stampeded their way to an 11-4 record over their last 15 games and are just a game behind the Atlanta Hawks for a right to play in the 7-8 play-in series matchup.
This should be a very motivated group, one that's led by Eastern Conference Player of the Month Coby White and should be hungry to get into the playoffs and start forming its own identity in the post-Zach LaVine era.
It may not be LeBron James vs. Derrick Rose of yesteryear, but Cavs-Bulls has the potential to be an exciting series.
West: (4) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Denver Nuggets
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Golden State Warriors
Current Record/Seed: 46-32, 6th in West
The Warriors were one of four teams with an identical 46-32 record heading into Tuesday's slate of games. Picking them to rise out of this group all the way up to fourth is a belief in this new core.
Golden State is a sparkling 20-3 in games this season when both Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler play and only face one team with a winning record (Los Angeles Clippers) before the playoffs begin.
Draymond Green is making his final push for Defensive Player of the Year (an award that should go to Luguentz Dort in this writer's opinion) and should be highly motivated to finish off the season with a string of wins.
Denver Nuggets
Current Record/Seed: 47-32, 4th in West
Denver has lost four straight games, just fired head coach Michael Malone and can't even secure a win when Nikola Jokić is putting up 40- and 60-point triple doubles. He needs more help, something the Nuggets' fairly-thin roster isn't providing right now.
Going on the road to play the red-hot Warriors to begin the playoffs is a nightmare scenario for Denver in its hopes of securing a second championship in three years.
With a pair of big games ahead against the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets, the Nuggets will tumble to fifth.
West: (3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers
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Los Angeles Lakers
Current Record/Seed: 48-30, 3rd in West
Remarkably, this would be the first time in history the Lakers and Clippers have ever met in a playoff series. A potential battle of L.A. carries other juicy storylines as well.
LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard first met in the Finals in 2013 (when James was MVP and the Miami Heat won) and dueled again in 2014 (with Leonard taking MVP honors with the San Antonio Spurs).
With James and Luka Dončić knowing the importance of home-court advantage in the playoffs, expect the Lakers to hold on to the No. 3 seed.
Los Angeles Clippers
Current Record/Seed: 46-32, 5th in West
No one should want to face the Clippers this postseason, as they have the No. 1 net rating, defense and No. 2 offense in the NBA over the last 15 games (12-3 record).
If anyone can put together a game plan for slowing down James in the playoffs, it's Tyronn Lue. Assuming Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr. and others are healthy, this team has some bodies to throw on James and Dončić, who the Clippers are likely sick of seeing in the postseason by now.
A late surge by the Warriors means the Clippers stay in the playoff picture but end up at No. 6 overall.
West: (2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Minnesota Timberwolves
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Houston Rockets
Current Record/Seed: 52-27, 2nd in West
Apologies to the Rockets, a team we projected to finish as the No. 6 seed in the West about a month ago.
Since then, Houston has the best record in the West (11-2) with a top-5 offense and defense. This team is safely locked into the No. 2 seed now, a huge accomplishment for a young group that failed to even reach the playoffs a year ago.
Houston's elite defense will certainly be tested against Anthony Edwards and company in the playoffs, especially considering Minnesota has the advantage in postseason experience.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Current Record/Seed: 46-32, 7th in West
Minnesota's hot play as of late (12-3 over their last 15) hasn't gained them much ground in a tight Western Conference, especially with the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors on fire as well.
Someone has to come out of the play-in tournament, and the Wolves still have multiple games remaining against projected playoff teams.
Minnesota may even be favored in a series against the Rockets and certainly shouldn't fear a young Houston team in Round 1.
West: (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
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Oklahoma City Thunder
Current Record/Seed: 64-14, 1st in West
Reaching 70 wins is no longer in play for Oklahoma City, although this franchise has long clinched home-court advantage throughout the West playoffs and will soon officially clinch best overall record away from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Recent glitches against the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers shouldn't be all that concerning. This team just needs the playoffs to start already and feast on whatever team falls to No. 8 overall.
With an MVP award almost certainly coming for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, this has the making of the greatest season in franchise history.
Memphis Grizzlies
Current Record/Seed: 46-32, 8th in West
A 2-3 record since the surprise firing of Taylor Jenkins hasn't exactly evoked a lot of confidence that Memphis can make a late-season run up the standings.
The Grizzlies still have to face motivated Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves teams and a Dallas Mavericks squad that needs to win in order to host the 8-9 play-in tournament game.
With a sub-.500 record over its last 15 games, Memphis could be in for a short series against a loaded OKC squad.
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