The 2024-25 NBA postseason begins on Tuesday before wrapping up on Friday. The first round of the playoffs starts on Saturday, with the winners of each best-of-seven series advancing to the conference semifinals.
The top six teams from each conference have clinched playoff spots and now await the teams that will qualify via the play-in tournament. The winner of the game between the No. 7 and No. 8 seed from each conference will advance to face the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The winner between the No. 9 and No. 10 seed will then face the loser of the 7-8 for the chance to then face the conference's No. 1 seed.
- Play-in tournament: Schedule, standings, format
The other two playoff series in each conference will see the No. 3 seed take on the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed face the No. 5 seed.
THE BRACKET IS SET 🍿 pic.twitter.com/xZBRkF7LT7
— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder took home the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference along with the league's best record, ensuring them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers finished second and third in the conference, respectively. The Denver Nuggets finished fourth despite firing head coach Michael Malone earlier this month.
In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the conference. The New York Knicks finished as the third seed while the Indiana Pacers wrapped up the No. 4 seed.
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East: Playoff matchups | Who's in?
West: Playoff matchups | Who's in?
EASTERN CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
In the Eastern Conference, the six playoff teams and four play-in teams are set.
Play-in games
Tuesday, April 15
No. 8 Atlanta Hawks at No. 7 Orlando Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT (winner advances to play No. 2 Boston)
Wednesday, April 16
No. 10 Miami Heat at No. 9 Chicago Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN (winner advances to play loser of the 7-8 game)
Friday, April 17
Winner 9/10 vs. loser 7/8, (winner advances to play No. 1 Cleveland)
Playoff series
Dates and times are to be determined.
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. TBD
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. TBD
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons
No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks
Eliminated teams: Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
WESTERN CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
In the Western Conference, the six playoff teams and four play-in teams are set.
Play-in games
Tuesday, April 15
No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies at No. 7 Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET, TNT (winner advances to play No. 2 Houston)
Wednesday, April 16
No. 10 Dallas Mavericks at No. 9 Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN (winner advances to play loser of the 7-8 game)
Friday, April 17
Winner 9/10 vs. loser 7/8, (winner advances to play No. 1 Oklahoma City)
Playoff series
Dates and times are to be determined.
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. TBD
No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. TBD
No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 LA Clippers
Eliminated teams: New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz
WHAT HAVE EAST TEAMS CLINCHED?
The following teams will advance to the postseason. Where's what they've clinched:
Cleveland Cavaliers
What they've clinched: No. 1 East seed; won Central Division
The Cavs were the first team to clinch a playoff spot before securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference on April 8. It was the first time the franchise earned the top seed in the East since its title-winning season in 2015-16.
Cleveland's remarkable season has been highlighted by two separate winning streaks of at least 15 games, and the team has eclipsed the 60-win mark for the third time in franchise history.
The Cavs reached the playoffs last season as the No. 4 seed, needing seven games to eliminate the Magic in the first round. They were then ousted by the Celtics in the conference semifinals in five games.
Boston Celtics
What they've clinched: No. 2 East seed; won Atlantic Division
The defending NBA Finals champions are looking for their record-extending 19th title, although they will do it as the No. 2 seed in the East this season.
The Celtics finished as the top seed in the East last season on their way to defeating the Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Boston has now made the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons (the league's longest active streak), and it reached at least the conference finals in four of the past five campaigns.
New York Knicks
What they've clinched: No. 3 East seed; will face the Detroit Pistons in the first round
The Knicks will now make three straight playoff appearances for the first time since 2010-13 but have not reached the conference finals since 2000. The team has advanced to the conference semifinals each of the previous two seasons, with last year's exit coming at the hands of the Pacers in seven games.
Indiana Pacers
What they've clinched: No. 4 East seed; will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round
After making it to the conference finals last season, the Pacers are back in the playoffs and will get home court advantage for the first round. The last time they finished among the top four East teams was in 2020. Indiana will also finish with the most wins in a season since 2013-14.
Milwaukee Bucks
What they've clinched: No. 5 East seed; will face the Indiana Pacers in the first round
The Bucks will look to avoid another early exit -- two consecutive first-round losses -- after guaranteeing a spot in the playoffs. But the team remains a model of postseason consistency with nine straight appearances (including the 2022 championship).
With a win over Detroit on April 11, the Bucks clinched the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit Pistons
What they've clinched: No. 6 East seed; will face the New York Knicks in the first round
The playoffs are returning to the Motor City. The Pistons were 14-68 last season, which is the worst record for a team to make playoffs the following season in NBA history. Their last playoff appearance was in 2019, where they were swept by the Bucks in the first round.
With a loss against Milwaukee on April 11, the Pistons clinched the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando Magic
What they've clinched: No. 7 East seed; won Southeast Division; will face the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in
The Magic made the playoffs last season but face an uphill battle this time around as their path will go through the play-in tournament.
Last season's playoff appearance (their first since 2020) saw Orlando exit in the first round in seven games against the Cavaliers.
Atlanta Hawks
What they've clinched: No. 8 East seed; will face the Orlando Magic in the play-in
The Hawks are back in the play-in tournament for the fourth straight season. They failed to advance last year but did reach the playoffs the previous times, losing in the first round on both occasions.
Chicago Bulls
What they've clinched: No. 9 East seed; will face the Miami Heat in the play-in
The Bulls are locked into the play-in tournament for the third consecutive season. They won the 9-seed vs. 10-seed matchup and then lost the game for the No. 8 seed in each of the previous two. Their last playoff appearance came in 2022, when they lost to the Bucks in the first round. That marked the last time Chicago had reached the playoffs since 2017.
Miami Heat
What they've clinched: No. 10 East seed; will face the Chicago Bulls in the play-in
If the Heat are going to make it to the playoffs for the fifth straight time, it will be through the play-in tournament. They've done so the past two postseasons, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2023 as a No. 8 seed.
WHAT HAVE WEST TEAMS CLINCHED?
The following teams will advance to the postseason. Here's that they've clinched:
Oklahoma City Thunder
What they've clinched: No. 1 West seed; won Northwest Division
OKC has clinched the No. 1 West seed for the sixth time in franchise history (dating back to the Seattle SuperSonics era) and the first instance in consecutive seasons. Even more impressive is the Thunder's 29-1 record against East teams this season -- the best cross-conference record in NBA history. With the win on April 9, the Thunder clinched home court throughout the playoffs, including the NBA Finals.
Last season, they were eliminated in the West's conference semifinals by the Mavericks, who eventually reached the NBA Finals.
Houston Rockets
What they've clinched: No. 2 West seed; won Southwest Division
Under second-year coach Ime Udoka, Houston has clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2020. It's been a turnaround season for the Rockets, who have secured the No. 2 spot behind the Thunder.
Los Angeles Lakers
What they've clinched: No. 3 West seed; won Pacific Division; will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round
LeBron James and Luka Doncic are playoff bound and have secured a top-four spot in a tough West. Under first-year coach JJ Redick, the team will now be making its third straight playoff appearance.
Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season, and will aim to do so again with his new team. Last season, the Lakers reached the first round of the playoffs through the play-in tournament, where they lost to the Nuggets for a second straight postseason.
Denver Nuggets
What they've clinched: No. 4 West seed; will face the LA Clippers in the first round
Led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets continue their postseason streak. They have made the playoffs in the past six seasons, including the 2023 title. Nonetheless, they enter uncharted waters after firing longtime coach Mike Malone as coach with less than a week left in the regular season.
Last season, Denver reached the conference semifinals, where they were eliminated by the Timberwolves in a seven-game thriller.
LA Clippers
What they've clinched: No. 5 West seed; will face the Denver Nuggets in the first round
The Clippers clinched their playoff spot with an overtime win in their season finale against the Warriors. Last season, the Clips were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Mavs.
Minnesota Timberwolves
What they've clinched: No. 6 West seed; will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round
The Timberwolves clinched a playoff spot, marking the fourth straight season of postseason basketball in Minnesota. Last year, the Timberwolves reached the conference finals (losing to the Mavericks) for just the second time in franchise history.
Golden State Warriors
What they've clinched: No. 7 West seed; will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in
The Warriors are back in the play-in for the second consecutive year. Last season, the team failed to advance after losing to the Kings in the play-in round. Golden State hopes that the midseason addition of Jimmy Butler III will allow Stephen Curry & Co. to reach the playoffs and make an extended run this time around.
Memphis Grizzlies
What they've clinched: No. 8 West seed; will face the Golden State Warriors in the play-in
After missing the playoffs last season, the Grizzlies will now have to get through via the play-in tournament. It's been a tumultuous time in Memphis as the team fired Taylor Jenkins as coach in late March.
Sacramento Kings
What they've clinched: No. 9 West seed, will face the Dallas Mavericks in the play-in
The Kings are in the play-in tournament for the second time in a row, and finish as the No. 9 seed once again. Their last playoff appearance came in 2023, when they lost in the first round to the Warriors in seven games.
Dallas Mavericks
What they've clinched: No. 10 West seed; will face the Sacramento Kings in the play-in
The Mavericks land in the play-in this season after finishing as the No. 5 seed last season. Dallas won the Western Conference before losing to the Celtics in the NBA Finals.