Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) moves the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during overtime of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors couldn’t let the chaotic race for NBA Western Conference playoff seedings be unscrambled in regulation of their regular-season finale on Sunday.
They needed five more minutes, with the Clippers (50-32) winning 124-119 in overtime in San Francisco and securing the fifth seed and a playoff series against the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets (50-32) when the first round begins April 19.
Earn-no-5-seed-relegate-warriors-to-play-in”>READ: NBA: Clippers Earn No. 5 seed, relegate Warriors to play-in
The loss dropped the Warriors (48-34) to seventh place and a date with the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies (48-34) in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday in San Francisco. The winner becomes the West’s No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
Entering Sunday as teams played their 82nd games, the Eastern Conference seedings already were determined. Out West, however, only the top three seeds — the Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14), Houston Rockets (52-30) and Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) — had locked in seeding.
LeBron James #23 and members of the Los Angeles Lakers bench celebrate a three-point basket by teammate Bronny James #9 during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images/AFP
Fourth through 10th places were up for grabs, making for a wild day of scoreboard watching. For the first time since conferences were established in the 1970-71 season, three teams from one conference secured playoff berths on the last day of the regular season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) won 116-105 over the lowly Utah Jazz (league-worst 17-65) on Sunday to avoid the play-in and clinch the sixth spot and a first-round series with the Lakers.
READ: NBA: Steph Curry, Warriors headed to play-in where they’re 0-3
The Dallas Mavericks (39-43), as the 10th and final team to keep playing in the West, visit the ninth-place Sacramento Kings (40-42) in the other play-in game on Wednesday. The loser is eliminated, and the winner plays Friday against the loser of the Grizzlies-Warriors to determine the West’s No. 8 seed.
The Nuggets, who won their last three games under interim head coach David Adelman, are the West’s fourth seed after beating the Rockets 126-111 on Sunday.
The No. 1 Thunder await the No. 8 play-in winner, and the No. 2 Rockets get the No. 7 winner.
Eastern Conference postseason teams already knew their assignments before Sunday, with the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks (40-42) visiting the seventh-place Orlando Magic (41-41) on Tuesday. The ninth-place Chicago Bulls (39-43) host the 10th-place Miami Heat (37-45) on Wednesday, with the loser eliminated.
READ: NBA: Nuggets clinch No. 4 spot, defeat Rockets
The Hawks and Magic have split their four meetings this season, including Sunday when host Atlanta won 117-105 in a game played mainly by reserves.
The winner Tuesday in Orlando becomes the East’s No. 7 seed and will face the second-seeded Boston Celtics (61-21) in the opening round.
The Hawks-Magic loser will face the winner of Heat-Bulls to advance as the East’s No. 8 seed and meet the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18) in Round 1.
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Other Eastern Conference first-round matchups are the No. 3 New York Knicks (51-31) against the No. 6 Detroit Pistons (44-38) and the No. 4 Indiana Pacers (50-32) against the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (48-34).
