
Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs still have the inside track for No. 1 in the Eastern Conference.
We’re down to the last week of the season, 57 games over six days (none on Saturday).
Here’s what we know …
Eastern Conference
- It’s very likely that the top four seeds will be Cleveland, Boston, New York and Indiana, in that order. But the Cavs, Knicks and Pacers each still need a result or two to go their way to secure their current spot.
- The Bucks and Pistons are fighting it out for the No. 5 seed, and they’ll face each other twice in the last three days of the season.
- The Magic, Hawks, Bulls and Heat are the SoFi Play-In Tournament teams, and all of them could finish in any of the four spots (7-10), though it would be very tough for either Chicago or Miami to climb all the way to seventh.
- The Raptors, Nets, Sixers, Hornets and Wizards are all heading to the Lottery.
Western Conference
- The Thunder are the No. 1 seed, though they haven’t yet clinched home-court advantage in a possible NBA Finals matchup with Cleveland.
- The Rockets are very likely to be the No. 2 seed, needing just one win (or a Lakers loss) to clinch.
- The Lakers are in a good position to finish third, though clinching will require multiple results to go their way.
- The Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, Wolves and Grizzlies all have exactly 32 losses. Each of them has a small chance to climb out of that No. 4-8 tier. Three of them will have guaranteed playoff spots, while the other two will face each other in the No. 7-8 Play-In game.
- The last two Play-In spots will come down to the Kings, Mavs and Suns, with Phoenix currently on the outside, trailing the 10th-place Mavs by two games.
- The Blazers, Spurs, Pelicans and Jazz are heading to the Lottery.
There’s still much to be determined, but little movement in what is the final regular-season Power Rankings of 2024-25.
Plus-Minus Players of the Week
- Right Way: Kawhi Leonard (LAC) was a plus-72 in four games last week.
- Wrong Way: P.J. Washington (DAL) was a minus-70 in three games last week.
Teams of the Week
- Make It Last Forever: Houston (3-1) — The Rockets have ended a four-year playoff drought in emphatic fashion.
- Something Just Ain’t Right: Denver (0-4) — The Nuggets in the Play-In would be weird, but it’s possible.
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East vs. West
- The West is 244-199 (.551) against the East in interconference games, though the East was 15-12 last week. There are nine interconference games remaining on the schedule.
Schedule strength through Week 24
- Toughest: 1. New Orleans, 2. Utah, 3. Washington
- Easiest: 1. Cleveland, 2. Indiana, 3. New York
- Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record.
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Movement in the Rankings
- High jumps of the week: LA Clippers (+1), L.A. Lakers (+1), Memphis (+1), Minnesota (+1)
- Free falls of the week: Denver (-3), Detroit (-1)
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Week 25 Team to Watch
- Memphis — There are three games this week between the six teams in the 3-8 tier in the West, and the Grizzlies will be in involved in two of those three games. They’ll host the Wolves on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and visit the Nuggets the following night.
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Previously…
- Last week: Rockets on the rise with 2 weeks left
- The archive: NBA.com Power Rankings
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
The league has averaged 113.7 points scored per 100 possessions and 99.6 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes this season.
NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, contact him via Bluesky.