All 30 teams are in action Friday night, and will be again Sunday, as the NBA regular season approaches its end. Of the 15 games on the schedule Friday, seven feature a matchup of teams headed to the postseason.
The most critical game of the night, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, is the Western Conference showdown between the LA Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers (10 p.m. ET). The Clippers lead the Blazers by one game for eighth place, which would give them two opportunities to win one play-in game to make the playoffs. The team that finishes in ninth will need to win two play-in games to set up a first-round meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC, which has already clinched the top seed in the West, visits the Denver Nuggets (9 p.m. ET), who have won 10 consecutive games to move into third place. BPI gives Denver a 40% chance of finishing as the 3-seed, ahead of the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. Houston hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves (9:30 p.m. ET, Prime), who are locked into the 6-seed, while the Lakers host the Phoenix Suns (10:30 p.m. ET), who will host the 7 vs. 8 play-in game in the West.
In the East, fifth through ninth place are separated by just two games. The Atlanta Hawks enter Friday’s action in a tie fifth and play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers (7 p.m. ET, Prime). Tied with Atlanta are the Toronto Raptors, who visit the New York Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET). BPI gives Toronto a 69.9% chance of finishing fifth, and Atlanta a 29.5% chance of landing that spot and a likely first-round matchup with Cleveland.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘s odds of avoiding the play-in have fallen to just 2.9%, according to BPI. They draw a matchup with the 19-61 Indiana Pacers on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET), but the 76ers will be without Joel Embiid, who was diagnosed with appendicitis Thursday. Philadelphia has been in the play-in only once before, in 2024, when the 76ers emerged as the 7-seed in the East.
Here’s a look at the current and projected NBA playoff picture, the most important games left in the regular season and how the race for the No. 1 pick in June’s draft is shaping up:
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Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule | Friday’s scores
Critical remaining games
Projected standings | Race for No. 1 pick
Current NBA playoff matchups
Eastern Conference playoffs
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference play-in
7. Orlando Magic vs. 8. Philadelphia 76ers
9. Charlotte Hornets vs. 10. Miami Heat
Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
Western Conference playoffs
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD
3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets
Western Conference play-in
7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. LA Clippers
9. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 10. Golden State Warriors
Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
Friday’s games
Pistons at Hornets, 7 p.m. ET
Heat at Wizards, 7 p.m. ET
Cavaliers at Hawks, 7 p.m. ET (Prime)
Pelicans at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET
76ers at Pacers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Raptors at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Magic at Bulls, 8 p.m. ET
Nets at Bucks, 8 p.m. ET
Mavericks at Spurs, 8 p.m. ET
Thunder at Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET
Timberwolves at Rockets, 9:30 p.m. ET
Grizzlies at Jazz, 9:30 p.m. ET
Clippers at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET
Warriors at Kings, 10 p.m. ET
Suns at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET
Thursday’s scores
Raptors 128, Heat 114
Bulls 119, Wizards 108
Pacers 123, Nets 94
Knicks 112, Celtics 106
Rockets 113, 76ers 102
Lakers 119, Warriors 103
Most important games left
Projected end-of-season standings
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first four picks. All 14 teams that fail to make the playoffs are eligible to move up to the top four. After the order of the top four picks is set via the draw, the remainder of the first round is set in inverse order of the teams’ regular-season records. The three teams with the worst records each have an equal 14% chance of winning the lottery, with the odds for the non-playoff teams decreasing from there.
Among the projected lottery teams, there are multiple trades that could impact picks. The Atlanta Hawks will get the better of the picks from the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks, with the lesser of the two picks going to Milwaukee. If the Indiana Pacers‘ pick falls between five and nine, it will go to the LA Clippers. The Clippers’ own pick will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Orlando Magic will send their pick to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Utah Jazz will send their pick to the Thunder if it falls outside the top eight. The Portland Trail Blazers will send their pick to the Chicago Bulls if it falls outside the lottery (if they make the playoffs through the play-in tournament). The Washington Wizards‘ pick is top-eight protected, and the probability of their selection ending up ninth or worse is extremely low.
