If you think an NBA game in the dog days of late January and early February don’t matter, tell that to the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors’ home loss to Phoenix on Jan. 31 and road loss to Utah on Feb. 5 made the difference between finishing in the top six and a spot in the playoffs and a seventh-place finish and a spot in the play-in game.
Playoff positions and seeds went down to the final day of the regular season Sunday. Golden State’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers combined with Minnesota’s victory over Utah pushed the Warriors into a play-in game against Memphis.
After 1,230 regular-season games, the league is set for the playoffs with play-in games scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to determine the seventh and eighth seeds in the Western and Eastern conferences.
Before we turn our full attention to the playoffs, let’s take a quick look at the winners and losers of the regular season:
NBA regular-season winners
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland posted its third 60-win season (64-18), and it’s first 60-win season with a team that did not include LeBron James. Talented with the Core Four (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley), deep (one of the best benches in the league) well-coached (Kenny Atkinson) and well-managed (president of basketball operations Koby Altman and GM Mike Gansey and staff), the Cavs have been one of the league’s best stories this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder finished with the NBA’s best record 68-14 and a franchise-record for wins in a season – something the Thunder with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jams Harden never did – and have an MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They are a lot like the Cavs with talent and depth on the roster (SGA, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort), coaching (Mark Daigneault) and front office (Sam Presti).
Boston Celtics
Coming off the franchise’s 18th championship in 2024, the Celtics did not ease through the regular season (61-21) but have also paced themselves for another deep playoff run. With the best starting five in the NBA (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis), the Celtics will be difficult to beat four times in a series.
Detroit Pistons
First-year Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff was the right coach at the right time for the Pistons who became the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season. They turned a league-worst 14-68 into a 44-38 season. Trajan Langdon took over in the front office and Cade Cunningham took over on the court.
Houston Rockets
The Art and Science of an NBA Rebuild is not failsafe. The Rockets have done a fantastic job through the draft, free agency and trades. Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore are all 23 or younger, and they helped the Rockets to the No. 2 seed and their best record (52-30) since winning 53 games in 2018-19. In 2020-21, the Rockets won 17 games. A rebuild is tough to endure at the time, but the franchise is set to compete for a top seed in the West for the next several seasons.
Los Angeles Lakers
With a first-time head coach in JJ Redick, the Lakers produced a 50-win campaign with an age-defying season from LeBron James and the trade deadline acquisition of star Luka Doncic. Do the Lakers have a perfect roster? No. Do they have a dangerous roster that can make a deep playoff run? Yes indeed. The Lakers were three games above .500 and in seventh place on Jan. 14. From that point, they were 30-15 and finished with the No. 3 seed.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets endured turmoil in the final week of the season when they fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with three games remaining. With a No. 4 seed or a play-in game situation at stake, the Nuggets won their final three games with interim head coach David Adelman and secured the No. 4 seed and their third consecutive 50-win season.
Los Angeles Clippers
Low key, the Clippers had a strong season at 50-32, their second consecutive season with 50 victories. They lost Paul George to Philadelphia in the offseason, but James Harden bounced back from a down year in 2023-24 and averaged 22.6 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds. Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard each averaged 21.0 points, and on the final day of the season, the Clippers went on the road and beat Golden State to earn the No. 5 seed.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic
Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder All-NBA guard, and Jokic, Denver’s All-NBA center, had tremendous MVP-caliber seasons. Whoever wins is deserving and whoever finishes runner-up won’t be slighted.
NBA regular-season losers
Philadelphia 76ers
Injuries decimated the 76ers, none bigger than Joel Embiid’s injury-prone season, which limited the former MVP to just 19 games. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday as Embiid and the team search for a treatment that will allow him to play more games in future seasons. With Tyrese Maxey’s growth and the offseason acquisition of Paul George, the Sixers were expected to compete for one of the top seeds in the East. They finished 24-58 but at least their bottom-five finish gives them a good chance to keep their top-six protected pick in the 2025 draft. Changes are coming to the Sixers, whether they are big or small.
Dallas Mavericks
We won’t overlook the injuries that doomed the Mavericks’ 39-43 season, resulting in a 10th-place finish and a spot in the play-in game after winning the Western Conference finals last season and playing in the NBA Finals. Kyrie Irving’s season-ending knee injury, and Anthony Davis’ limited availability after the trade hurt. The Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers, believing they can’t win a title with Doncic. It is a move that is as mystifying today as it was in early February when it happened. The move angered a fanbase that loved having Doncic on their team and made a conference rival better.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans won 49 games last season and were projected to hit the mid-40s this season. That didn’t happen. Injuries torpedoed New Orleans’ season, and it finished 21-61. Zion Williamson played in just 30 games, Dejounte Murray 31, Herbert Jones 20 and just two players played more than 56. Plus, the Pelicans traded Brandon Ingram.
Sacramento Kings
Just months after giving head coach Mike Brown an offseason extension, citing the tremendous job Brown has done, the Kings dismissed him in December. Unhappy with the direction of the franchise, De’Aaron Fox wanted a trade and got one to San Antonio, his preferred destination. More changes, including a different direction with the front office in addition to the coaching staff (Doug Christie is the interim coach), could be on the way for the Kings.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns last offseason hired Mike Budenholzer to replace Frank Vogel who was hired in the offseason before 2023-24 to replace Monty Williams. On a roster featuring Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns were a disappointing 36-46 and did not qualify for the playoffs or the play-in game. They were 35-37 with three weeks left in the regular season and lost nine of their final 10 games, including eight consecutive that destroyed their postseason chances. The Suns had a top-15 offense but the No. 27 defense, and were 19-18 in the games Durant, Booker and Beal played together.