Thunder Reign Supreme as West's Top Seed

The Oklahoma City Thunder (65-14) have secured back-to-back Western Conference top seeds with remarkable roster continuity. With 15 players under contract for 2025-26—including rehabilitating lottery pick Nikola Topic—they're positioned for sustained dominance while holding three potential first-round draft picks.

Eastern Conference Elite: Cavaliers & Celtics

Cleveland Cavaliers (63-16): Recording their first non-LeBron 60-win season, the Cavs clinched the East's No. 1 seed behind All-Star performances from Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley. Kenny Atkinson's Coach of the Year credentials will be tested in the postseason.

Boston Celtics (59-20): The defending champs enter playoffs healthy with Jayson Tatum (26.9 PPG) and Jaylen Brown (22.5 PPG) leading a deep roster. Their +8.3 net rating leads the NBA, though playoff matchups loom large.

Western Conference Turmoil

• Nuggets in Chaos: Denver fired coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth amid a "cold war" over roster decisions, throwing their playoff run into uncertainty despite Nikola Jokic's MVP-caliber season (24.7/12.1/9.3 averages).
• Lakers' Blockbuster Move: The league-shaking Luka Doncic acquisition transformed L.A.'s trajectory. His April 9 return to Dallas (ESPN, 7:30 PM ET) highlights the season's final week.
• Kings-Nuggets Clash: Sacramento hosts Denver (April 9, 10:30 PM ET) in a critical game for both teams' seeding—just hours after Malone's shocking dismissal.

Playoff Races Heating Up

Draft Lottery Watch

• Bottom 5 Teams: Utah (16-63), Washington (17-62), Charlotte (19-60), Philadelphia (23-56), New Orleans (21-58)
• Top Prospect Watch: Cooper Flagg (Duke), Ace Bailey (Rutgers), Dylan Harper (Rutgers)
• Key Stat: Jazz, Wizards, and Hornets all have 14% odds for No. 1 pick in loaded draft

Franchise Crossroads

• Spurs: Victor Wembanyama's blood clot injury and Popovich's health cast uncertainty
• 76ers: Potential top-6 pick retention adds insult to Paul George experiment failure
• Bulls: Third straight play-in appearance with no clear franchise cornerstone

All rankings reflect games through April 8, 2025. Advanced stats via NBA Advanced Stats.