Bold Predictions for NBA Season's Final Push

The NBA is headed for an all-out sprint to the finish line of the 2025-26 NBA season.

And, yes, there are two races being run here with contenders jostling for prime playoff positioning and bottom-feeders collecting losses like they're end-of-days supplies.

Both could wind up with photo finishes. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs look like they may never lose again. On the opposite end of the standings, wins might be a mere memory for the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and Dallas Mavericks.

These are wild times, for sure, but our crystal ball sees even wilder times ahead. Or, rather, it does when we crank up its boldness setting to unleash a new batch of bold predictions for the final stretch run.

Someone Else Is Dropping 70-Plus

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Regardless of how you interpreted Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point eruption, it happened. And there are a number of reasons it happened, many of which have nothing to do with the late-game shenanigans that soured the performance for some.

In short, you had a Miami Heat very much playing for something up against a Washington Wizards team in the thick of the tank race. As it became obvious that Adebayo was feeling it, and the Wizards had zero answers for him, the Heat decided their only option was a simple answer of opportunity's knock.

"There was a moment, and when there's a moment in time like that, it's carpe diem," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "You have to go for it, and that was just thrilling."

You think other stars and their employers won't chase that same thrill? Against rosters largely constructed with loss-stockpiling in mind? Calling for what would be the fourth 80-plus-point performance in NBA history pushes past boldness and into reckless territory, but predicting the 17th 70-point outburst (and sixth since 2023) feels reasonably bold.

Sixers Sink to 10th, Then Claw Out of Play-In and Frighten First-Round Foe

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The full-strength Philadelphia 76ers look legitimately scary. But since they're spotted even less frequently than Bigfoot these days, they're essentially terrifying in the same mythical fashion.

Tyrese Maxey has a hurt finger. Paul George is still suspended. And Joel Embiid is Joel Embiid. It could be a while before Philadelphia is whole again—very possibly long enough for the Sixers to find themselves stuck in the 10th seed and needing two road wins in two tries to escape the Play-In Tournament.

And, guess what? Our crystal ball likes their chances—both of getting healthy at the right time and salvaging their season. That's a relative term, here, since Philly isn't forcing its way into the championship race or anything, but it can absolutely fend off its Play-In foes and immediately become a huge headache for its first-round opponent.

We'll stop short of calling for a first-round upset, but before we do, we'll just make one note that its higher-seeded opponent would surely mull over. During the rare moments in which the Sixers have had Embiid, Maxey, George, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr. on the floor together (83 minutes across five contests), they've netted a whopping 121.2 points per 100 possessions—or nearly an additional one point per 100 possessions more than the league-leading Denver Nuggets' offense (120.4).

Clippers Win the Play-In and Multiple Playoff Games

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A post-trade deadline plunge felt entirely possible for the Los Angeles Clippers after they unloaded both James Harden and Ivica Zubac. Yet this team is still very much a problem, evidenced most recently by its 153-point onslaught against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which featured 45 points (on 20 field-goal attempts) from Kawhi Leonard and serious love for Leonard from Anthony Edwards afterward.

"In all honesty, Kawhi may be one of the best players to ever play the game when he's healthy," Edwards told reporters. "I think a lot of his peers feel the same way about him. When he's 100 percent, ain't no stopping Kawhi."

Leonard is the main reason why L.A. feels like both a lock to win its way out of the Play-In Tournament and a daunting matchup for whichever top seed it draws. That said, he's not a one-man army. Deadline additions Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin are plenty potent in their own right, netting a combined 43 points (on 23 field-goal attempts) in that same contest.

The Clippers don't have enough time and schedule left to claw their way out of the eighth seed, but that's a good enough perch for them to conquer the 8-9 matchup and then pester the heck out of the No. 2 seed in a sweaty series going at least six games.

Anthony Edwards Averages 30 on 50/40 Shooting

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This, admittedly, may not sound super bold, since Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is already averaging 29.4 points while shooting 49.2 percent overall and 40.2 percent from three. Plus, Ant-Man is a real-life hoops superhero, so asking for another point per game and field-goal percentage point feels almost too easy, right?

Well, just think about how little time is left on the schedule, and suddenly those small increases loom rather large. Essentially, this leaves him with zero margin for error and, in fact, demands that an All-NBA first-team candidate summons even more production (and efficiency) out of himself, while carrying a club that could finish anywhere from the third to the seventh seed in the West.

That's a tremendous amount of pressure—especially with Julius Randle mired in a second-half slump—but doesn't Edwards just feel like the kind of player built to thrive in such a setting? His competitiveness and confidence are both elite qualities, and he has willed his way into becoming one of basketball's best shooters (2.6 threes on 35.3 percent shooting his first four seasons; 3.8 on 39.7 since the start of his fifth).

The Wolves are collectively struggling, losing three straight by double figures, but Edwards has vowed that, "I'm going to find us a way." Our crystal ball believes him and envisions a furious finish for him that's defined by nothing short of consistent excellence.

Both No. 1 Seeds Will Change Hands

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If the boldness factor behind some of these predictions has been debatable for you, this one should fully satisfy it. Honestly, it's a little closer to the impossible range than we'd like, but we're standing by it (while holding crossed fingers behind our backs so you all can't see them).

Fans of the Detroit Pistons and defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will both feel disrespected here, and they should. Both teams have spent all season solidifying themselves as the top teams in their respective conferences, and nothing about their numbers suggests the No. 1 seeds they currently hold are anything other than deserved.

Yet, this is less about the Pistons and Thunder, and more about the potential chaos-creators behind them: the Boston Celtics with Jayson Tatum back in the fold, and the San Antonio Spurs with their 7'4" extraterrestrial megastar, Victor Wembanyama. Tatum just capped his fast-forwarded comeback from the Achilles tear he suffered last May to net 20-plus points in both his second and third games back. Wembanyama, meanwhile, has swatted, swished, and go-go-gadget-stretched his way into an MVP race that was only supposed to feature Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić.

The numbers won't back this prediction, and a lot of eye tests could disagree with it, too. That's fine. It's part of the bold-predicting business, and it's understandable given the greatness shown by Detroit and Oklahoma City. That said, the Pistons remain vulnerable to offensive cold spells, and the Thunder are fighting both injury issues and a daunting remaining schedule. Either could leave the door open, and both the Celtics and Spurs have the talent to hard-charge their way through it and into the top seed lines.

*Statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and current through games played on March 12.