Week 25 Watchlist: 12 video games with main playoff implications throughout closing week

The playoff image continues to return into focus because the common season enters its closing week. Here’s what we all know:

Nine of the 12 assured playoff berths have been clinched:

• East: Detroit (clinched No. 1 seed), Boston, New York and Cleveland are in. The Pistons, Celtics and Knicks have clinched top-four finishes and can have home-court benefit within the opening spherical.

• West: OKC, San Antonio, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver and Houston are in. The Thunder and Spurs have clinched top-two finishes, however San Antonio can nonetheless catch OKC for the highest seed; the Spurs are three video games again with 4 to play and maintain the tiebreaker.

Three of the eight Play-In Tournament spots are locked:

• East: None – all 4 groups at present within the Play-In discipline have an opportunity to achieve the highest six for a assured playoff spot. Seeds 6-10 are getting into the ultimate week separated by simply two video games.

• West: LA Clippers, Portland and Golden State are locked within the Play-In. Only Phoenix has an opportunity to achieve the highest six; the Suns are three video games again with 4 to play.

With the races so tight, the seedings can shake up on a nightly foundation. Here are 12 video games that might make a huge effect on the ultimate playoff image.

April 6

• New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. ET, Peacock)

A matchup of two top-five groups within the East that wish to maintain their positions – New York at No. 3 and Atlanta at No. 5.

The Knicks have held No. 3 since late February, however enter this week with solely a one-game lead (and the head-to-head tiebreaker) over the No. 4 Cavaliers. New York faces 4 postseason groups, all with one thing to play for this week, starting in Atlanta earlier than returning residence to face Boston, Toronto and Charlotte.

Atlanta holds a two-game benefit on each No. 6 Philadelphia and No. 7 Toronto, however the Hawks solely have the tiebreaker over the Sixers. After this matchup with New York, the Hawks have a home-and-home set with No. 4 Cleveland earlier than closing at Miami. Starting the week with a win would tremendously assist each groups keep away from a slip within the standings.

• Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets (9 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)

Both groups enter this week tied with groups from Los Angeles and may transfer up within the Western Conference standings with a win, as each L.A. squads are idle on Monday.

The No. 4 Nuggets are tied with the No. 3 Lakers at 50-28, however Los Angeles holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. However, with the Lakers off on Monday, a Denver win would elevate the Nuggets to No. 3 (not less than briefly).

The No. 9 Blazers are tied with the No. 8 Clippers at 40-38, however LA holds the head-to-head tiebreaker by main the season collection 2-1 with yet another sport to play (extra on that later). A win on Monday would carry the Blazers again to No. 8 and the highest half of the Play-In Tournament, which holds a significant benefit over the underside half.

April 7

• Charlotte Hornets at Boston Celtics (8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

If the season ended immediately, No. 8 Charlotte could be in a Play-In sport in opposition to No. 7 Toronto, with the winner securing the No. 7 seed within the playoffs and a first-round matchup with No. 2 Boston.

But the Hornets nonetheless have per week to play with a view to climb out of the Play-In and into the highest six. Charlotte enters the week on a four-game win streak whereas sitting only a half-game again of each No. 6 Philadelphia and No. 7 Toronto.

Can the Hornets hold their sizzling streak going in opposition to a Celtics crew that has gained three straight themselves? While the Celtics have already secured their playoff spot, they’re making an attempt to keep up their lead over New York for the No. 2 seed within the East.

• Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET, League Pass)

A conflict between No. 1 and No. 3 within the West getting into the ultimate week of the season.

For the Thunder, their magic quantity is 2 to lock up the No. 1 seed within the West – any mixture of OKC wins or San Antonio losses is not going to solely give OKC the highest seed within the West, however the high seed within the NBA for the second straight season.

For the Lakers, they enter the ultimate week of the season coming off two straight losses and coping with two injured stars, as each Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (indirect) are out for the rest of the common season (and probably into the playoffs).

L.A. holds the No. 3 seed by way of tiebreaker over Denver and a one-game lead over No. 5 Houston. Can the Lakers keep their place whereas enjoying shorthanded over the ultimate week of the season? Their first take a look at comes in opposition to the defending champs, who’re searching for a sixth straight win.

April 8

• Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

If the season ended immediately, this might be a first-round matchup between the No. 4 Cavs and the No. 5 Hawks. This week, we get two probabilities to preview this potential collection, starting with this Wednesday’s matchup in Cleveland and adopted by Friday’s sport in Atlanta.

These groups haven’t met since November, once they cut up the primary two video games of their season collection. This week’s two-game set will decide the head-to-head tiebreaker, which might solely come into play if Atlanta ran the desk (they’ve gained 4 straight getting into this week) and Cleveland misplaced all of its remaining video games (they’ve gained two straight getting into this week).

Even if the Hawks can’t catch the Cavs within the standings, this week may very well be an opportunity to see how they stack up in opposition to Cleveland ought to that first-round matchup materialize.

April 9

• Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)

This is the second of two conferences this week between the No. 7 Raptors (at present shedding a tiebreaker to No. 6 Philly) and No. 10 Miami (simply two video games again). With 5 groups separated by simply two video games between the ultimate assured playoff spot (No. 6) and the ultimate spot within the Play-In (No. 10), these head-to-head matchups can create huge swings within the standings.

The Raptors enter this week with a 2-0 edge over the Heat, however with two conferences this week (Tuesday and Thursday, each in Toronto), Miami has an opportunity to even the season collection and decide up two full video games on the Raptors.

• Boston Celtics at New York Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

The Knicks enter this week three video games again of the Celtics for the No. 2 seed within the East with 4 video games to play. If New York hopes to catch Boston, this sport is a must-win for the Knicks.

New York leads the season collection 2-1, so a win right here would clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker whereas additionally permitting the Knicks to choose up a full sport on the Celtics. Of course, New York would nonetheless want some assist, as Boston must lose two extra video games with a view to have an opportunity at a tie within the standings.

While the Knicks maintain a 2-1 lead this season, this would be the first matchup since Jayson Tatum’s return for Boston. Tatum, who suffered his torn Achilles throughout Boston’s second-round loss to New York final spring, has averaged 21.5 factors, 10.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his first 14 video games again.

April 10

• Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets (9 p.m. ET, League Pass)

If the postseason started immediately, this might be a possible second-round matchup between the No. 1 Thunder and No. 4 Nuggets. However, Denver has an opportunity to climb as much as No. 3 and keep away from the defending champs till the Western Conference Finals, because the Nuggets enter this week tied with the No. 3 Lakers with 4 video games to play and L.A. shorthanded.

In addition to potential playoff implications, this matchup additionally options two of the highest three gamers within the newest Kia MVP Ladder – Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokić. While Jokić has averaged a triple-double (23.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 11.7 apg in three video games in opposition to OKC), it’s Gilgeous-Alexander (35.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 12.3 apg) and the Thunder who lead the collection 3-0 getting into this closing regular-season matchup.

• Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets (9:30 PM ET, Prime Video)

The No. 5 Rockets and No. 6 Timberwolves enter this week sitting subsequent to one another within the standings, however have been on two totally different trajectories as of late.

Houston has already clinched a playoff berth and enters the ultimate week of the season using a six-game win streak, sitting only one sport again of each No. 3 Los Angeles and No. 4 Denver within the race for home-court within the first spherical.

Minnesota has dropped three straight video games and 4 of its final 5, with Anthony Edwards enjoying simply twice since mid-March. The Wolves maintain a three-game lead on the Suns for the ultimate assured playoff spot, however Phoenix holds the tiebreaker ought to the Wolves proceed to sputter down the stretch.

• LA Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers (10 p.m. ET, League Pass)

The groups enter this week even within the standings at 40-38, with the No. 8 Clippers holding the tiebreaker with a 2-1 lead within the season collection. The winner of this sport will earn the tiebreaker – LA will both win the season collection 3-1, or Portland will take it by having a superior convention document.

Why is that this so necessary? These groups are strolling the road between No. 8 and No. 9 within the Play-In. A fast reminder on the Play-In format: The groups that end No. 7 and eight on the finish of the common season have two probabilities to win one sport with a view to safe a playoff berth. The groups that end No. 9 and No. 10 should win two video games and may solely earn the No. 8 seed within the playoffs.

April 12

• Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics (6 p.m. ET, League Pass)

No. 9 Orlando is one other of the 5 East groups separated by simply two video games between No. 6 and No. 10 within the convention. Entering their regular-season finale, the Magic will both be enjoying for an opportunity to get out of the Play-In and earn a top-six seed, or to spice up their positioning throughout the Play-In Tournament. We’ll know each potential situation and lay out all potential finishes this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Celtics will hope to have locked up the East 2 seed earlier than the ultimate day of the common season, however as we mentioned earlier, New York has an opportunity to tighten this race on Thursday, which might give this matchup excessive stakes for each groups.

• Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs (8:30 p.m. ET, League Pass)

While we might not know which playoff seeds are on the road on this matchup – as San Antonio enters the week with an outdoor shot of catching OKC for the No. 1 seed, and Denver can climb as excessive as No. 3 or slide all the way in which all the way down to No. 6 – there’s an added layer to this matchup.

Similar to Denver’s sport in opposition to OKC on Friday, this sport additionally options two of the highest three gamers within the newest Kia MVP Ladder – Jokić for Denver and Victor Wembanyama for San Antonio – who staged an instantaneous basic once they dueled final week.

Jokić (40 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast, 3 blk) and Wembanyama (34 pts, 18 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk) traded monster video games, but it surely was the Nuggets that emerged with a 136-134 win to take a 2-1 collection lead, with all three video games determined by 5 factors or much less.