NBA Playoff Picture 2025 Bracket, Early Odds and Predictions
The 2024-25 NBA campaign closed its curtains on Sunday, meaning that one-third of the league is officially out of the championship running.
The 20 teams still standing all have championship hopes of varying degrees, but obviously some are much stronger than others.
After laying out the final league standings, we'll provide the updated championship odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook before taking a stab at what's to come with a trio of postseason predictions.
Final Season Standings
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Eastern Conference
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
Western Conference
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
NBA Championship Odds
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Oklahoma City Thunder +180 (bet $100 to win $180)
Boston Celtics +190
Cleveland Cavaliers +490
Los Angeles Lakers +1700
Golden State Warriors +2300
New York Knicks +2800
Denver Nuggets +2900
Minnesota Timberwolves +3700
Los Angeles Clippers +4300
Indian Pacers +6500
Houston Rockets +7500
Milwaukee Bucks +17000
Memphis Grizzlies +20000
Detroit Pistons +41000
Orlando Magic +100000
Chicago Bulls +100000
Sacramento Kings +100000
Dallas Mavericks +100000
Miami Heat +100000
Atlanta Hawks +100000
Postseason Predictions
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The Warriors win the play-in, then knock out the Rockets.
Is it ideal for this aging, fatigued Golden State squad to begin its postseason journey in the play-in tournament? Not at all. There is, however, one potential silver lining, and that's if the Warriors handle the Grizzlies in the 7-8 game, then they'll wind up drawing the second-seeded (but potentially vulnerable) Houston in the first round.
The Rockets were, objectively speaking, really good this season, but their roster is largely untested in the playoffs, and their half-court offense is subpar (93.2 points per play, 22nd overall, per Cleaning the Glass). If the Warriors have a hot-shooting Stephen Curry and a return to form from Playoff Jimmy Butler, that might be more than these young Rockets can handle.
Anthony Edwards outduels L.A.'s stars in thrilling first round series.
Few teams would enter a series against the Lakers and confidently believe they have the best player on their roster. The Timberwolves might be one of the exceptions.
That's not to say Anthony Edwards is actually better than Luka Donฤiฤ or even 40-year-old LeBron James, but Edwards is capable of playing at a higher level. Edwards, who averaged 27.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his last playoff run, will thrive under the bright lights and lead his team, a Western Conference finalist one year ago, to a first-round upset over the third-seeded Lakers.
Boston goes back-to-back.
This championship race has a wide-open feel, due in no small part to the fact the two conference wins leaders (Oklahoma City and Cleveland) are relatively unproven in the postseason. What if this is all merely a mirage, though? Who's to say the defending champion Celtics haven't merely been pacing themselves in preparation of a successful title defense?
They need a healthy Jaylen Brown to make that happen, but they are confident that the reigning Finals MVP will be good to go come playoff time. If that happens, then the Shamrocks, who went 22-5 with the second-best net rating after the All-Star break, arguably still have the league's best roster and will once again ride that to a title.
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