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.
THE BRACKET IS SET 🍿 pic.twitter.com/xZBRkF7LT7
— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2025
Here's how things shook out in the West after a busy final day of regular-season play.
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.
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 ...
