NBA Playoffs 2025: Western Conference matchups set as Nuggets secure No. 4 seed, Clippers beat Warriors in OT
The NBA playoff matchups are set as the regular season came to a close on Sunday. With the Eastern Conference's playoff picture locked up ahead of the final regular season games, it was the Western Conference whose seeding came down to the wire.
Only three of the ten seeds were locked up heading into Sunday. The rest of the field's seeding was determined on Sunday's Decision Day, as a few teams got key wins to secure non-play-in spots.
Here's how things shook out in the West after a busy final day of regular-season play.
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1. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14)
The Thunder fell just short of a 70-win season this year, but a 115-100 win against the New Orlean Pelicans on Sunday gives OKC another boost heading into the postseason. The Thunder's first-round opponent will determined by the two play-in games — with the team hopefully capping off one of the best regular seasons in years with a strong postseason run.
2. Houston Rockets (52-30)
It wasn't the best end to the regular season for the Rockets, who lost 126-111 to the Denver Nuggets. But Houston had locked up the second seed prior to Sunday, meaning that the loss did not matter for the postseason. The Rockets will now face the No. 7 seed, the winner of the two play-in games, in the first round of the playoffs.
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3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-32)
After already capturing the third seed, the Lakers put forward a young starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Portland Trailblazers. That Bronny James-led lineup didn't have much of a chance against Portland, with the Trailblazers beating the Lakers 109-81 — not that it mattered for the postseason. L.A. will now face off against the No. 6-seeded Timberwolves.
4. Denver Nuggets (50-32)
Despite the turmoil happening in Denver right now, the Nuggets were able to lock up a big win over the Rockets on Sunday to secure the No. 4 seed. Denver will now have home court advantage to face the No. 5-seeded Clippers — a definite boost for the team's playoff run.
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5. Los Angeles Clippers (50-32)
The most consequential matchup of the day was Clippers-Warriors, with the team teams facing off for a chance to avoid the play-in tournament. This game came down to the wire, with the two teams trading leads in the final minutes of the game before heading to overtime.
In the end the Clippers came out on top, earning a 124-119 win after pulling away in overtime. With the win, L.A. escapes the play-in tournament, and will travel to face the Nuggets in the first round.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)
With the 4-7 seeds so tight, the Timberwolves needed a win in order to avoid the play-in tournament. On Sunday, they got it, beating the Utah Jazz 116-105 to secure the No. 6 seed and get some momentum going into the postseason. Minnesota will now face the Lakers, the No. 3 seed, in the first round.
7. Golden State Warriors (48-34)
After the overtime loss to the Clippers, the Warriors will have to settle for a play-in matchup against Memphis, the No. 8 seed — but will host that matchup at home.
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8. Memphis Grizzlies (48-34)
A huge victory on Sunday puts the Grizzlies into solid position heading into the playoffs. Although Memphis fell short of securing home-court advantage, the 132-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks still builds some momentum. The Grizzlies will travel to play the Warriors for the first play-in matchup this week.
9. Sacramento Kings (40-42)
The Kings pulled off the 109-98 win over the Phoenix Suns to capture the No. 9 seed and home-court advantage for the play-in tournament. Sacramento will host Dallas, the final seed, in the play-in round after beating the team in all three meetings this season.
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10. Dallas Mavericks (39-43)
The Mavericks' regular season came to an end with a 35-point loss to the Grizzlies. Dallas locks up the final play-in seed off a losing record, but a chance to keep things going in the postseason.

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San Francisco Chronicle
38 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area sports fandom is special. Rocco the bulldog shows why
Rocco Thompson died last week. The English bulldog, companion of professional basketball player Klay Thompson, was by every account a very good boy. He was 13. I've been contemplating why I'm still thinking about a dog I've never met, and a person I don't really know, more than a week after the pet was euthanized far into canine old age. (Most English bulldogs don't live past 10.) And I've come to a simple answer: Rocco's life, and Thompson's choice to share it with fans, exemplifies what's special about Bay Area sports. The championships in my lifetime have been great — 19 total between the Warriors, 49ers, Giants, A's and Raiders — but the extracurriculars have arguably been even better. The wins gave us parades and fleeting bragging rights. The stories off the field gave us something much deeper. When Thompson was drafted in 2011 he was a silent figure, happy to play behind starting guard Monta Ellis and mind his business. Players and coaches noted that he 'barely said a word.' We knew little more detail about his life than the basics on his basketball card. So I was shocked in 2014 when the Chronicle convinced Thompson to let reporter Rusty Simmons tag along on a dog walk at Cesar Chavez Park near the Berkeley shoreline. The resulting article featured a litany of endearing moments, including Rocco's reaction to Thompson's then-recent $70 million contract extension. 'He didn't know what it meant,' Thompson deadpanned. 'That's why I love him though. He didn't care the day before I signed the contract or the day of. He just loved me for me.' From there, I connected with Thompson more and more. And as the team won, he opened up to the Bay Area, sharing his love of boat life, reading physical newspapers and passing on basketball knowledge. (His 'reverse waterfall' video is still the best-explained visualization of good shooting I've ever seen.) These kinds of connections exist in all kinds of sports and in all types of cities. 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But sports is still a business. Bay Area fans and journalists suggesting the Warriors would be better without him must have felt like a betrayal, even if we welcomed him back on the opposition with a standing ovation and Captain Klay hats. There will be chances to feel the love again. Someday there will be a statue for Thompson. Hopefully with a bronzed English bulldog by his side. Rocco 'gives me a chance to clear my mind of everything and think about life — anything but basketball,' Thompson said in that 2014 interview. 'With me, my friends or my family, I can't help but talk about basketball, so this is my escape.' And you, Klay Thompson, were our escape. Sorry you lost your friend. And thank you for sharing him — and the journey — with us.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lakers Fans React to JJ Redick, Knicks Coaching News
Lakers Fans React to JJ Redick, Knicks Coaching News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Knicks find themselves in a delicate position as they continue their search for a head coach following Tom Thibodeau's firing after their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last month. As the only NBA team actively seeking a replacement, the Knicks front office appears to be approaching the process with caution, ensuring any candidate aligns with their strategic vision and organizational values. Advertisement In recent developments, the Knicks have encountered significant resistance in their recruitment efforts. Both the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves have denied permission for the Knicks to interview their head coaches, Ime Udoka and Chris Finch, respectively. New York Knicks former head coach Tom Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Reports also indicate that New York reached out to the Dallas Mavericks about Jason Kidd, Atlanta Hawks regarding Quin Snyder, and Chicago Bulls about Billy Donovan—but were rebuffed in each instance. Amid these deliberations, a new report emerged about who the Knicks have not requested permission to interview. One of these coaches in Los Angeles Lakers' JJ Redick, who was named by Sam Amick of The Athletic as one of a handful of names the Knicks are not pursuing. Lakers fans have been reacting to this on X. Advertisement "They want Darvin Ham instead," one joked. "Jj being considered part of the 'elite coaching crew' already wow lol," said one. "what we not gone do is put elite coaching and jj redick in the same sentence," a more critical fan stated. "Doc Rivers mentioned alongside Redick, Lue, Kerr and Carlisle," a Lakers fan commented with a reaction photo. "JJ Redick in 'elite coaches crew' ??!" wrote another critical fan. "Ok I love JJ but how is he considered an elite coach already lmao," one added. Redick, a former NBA player turned media member, signed a four‑year contract as the Lakers' head coach—his first professional coaching role. Should the Knicks decide to pursue Redick, they will need to first obtain the Lakers' consent, although chances are the Lakers will decline their request. Advertisement The Knicks face mounting pressure to expedite their decision-making process. Their next steps—whether prompting outreach, re-evaluating other candidates, or waiting for a clearer path—is set to usher in the next era of New York basketball. Related: Andrew Wiggins to Lakers Trade Report Surfaces After Rui Hachimura News Related: New Report on Celtics NBA Champion Potentially Joining Lakers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.

an hour ago
Democrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports as setback for athletes
WASHINGTON -- The latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports generated predictable partisan outrage on Thursday, with Democrats saying Republican-led draft legislation would claw back freedoms won by athletes through years of litigation against the NCAA. Three House committees are considering legislation that would create a national standard for name, image and likeness payments to athletes and protect the NCAA against future lawsuits. Last week, a federal judge approved a $2.8 billion settlement that will lead to schools paying athletes directly, and NCAA President Charlie Baker said now that his organization is implementing those major changes, Congress needs to step in and stabilize college sports. Baker said he supports the draft legislation that was the subject of Thursday's hearing by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, but there was little indication that any bill advanced by the House would generate enough Democratic support to surpass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. 'I'm deeply disappointed for the second year in a row, Republicans on this committee are advancing a partisan college sports bill that protects the power brokers of college athletics at the expense of the athletes themselves,' said Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass. Trahan noted that if the NCAA or conferences establish unfair rules, athletes can challenge them in court, with the settlement of the House v. NCAA antitrust case the latest example of athletes winning rights that they had been denied historically. 'This bill rewrites that process to guarantee the people in power always win, and the athletes who fuel this multibillion-dollar industry always lose,' said Trahan, who played volleyball at Georgetown. The NCAA argues that it needs a limited antitrust exemption in order to set its own rules and preserve a college sports system that provides billions of dollars in scholarships and helps train future U.S. Olympians. Several athletes are suing the NCAA over its rule that athletes are only eligible to play four seasons in a five-year period, and on Tuesday, a group of female athletes filed an appeal of the House settlement, saying it discriminated against women in violation of federal law. On the Senate side, a bipartisan group including Republican Ted Cruz of Texas has been negotiating a college sports reform bill for months, but those talks are moving more slowly than Cruz had hoped at the beginning of this Congress. The draft bill in the House would create a national standard for NIL, overriding the state laws that critics say have led to a chaotic recruiting environment. That, too, was criticized by Democrats and by their key witness at the hearing, Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association. Huma argued that the NCAA wants to get rid of booster-funded NIL collectives that another witness, Southeastern Conference associate commissioner William King, characterized as 'fake NIL' or 'pay for play.' Instead, Huma said the collectives are examples of the free market at work, noting that before players won NIL rights through a court case, boosters could only donate to athletic departments. Tom McMillen, a former Democratic congressman who played in the NBA after an All-America basketball career at Maryland, took a dim view of the bill's prospects. 'I think they're trying to come up with something and pull in some Democrats. I just don't know if that's going to succeed or not,' said McMillen, who for several years led an association of Division I athletic directors. 'There's a real philosophical divide, so that's the hard part. It's hard to bridge. And there's a zillion other issues.' The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said the draft legislation already had some bipartisan support and he was open to changes that would get more Democrats on board. 'I will consider some of the suggestions, the legitimate suggestions that were made,' Bilirakis said, 'and I will be happy to talk to lawmakers that truly want to get a big bill across the finish line.'