Eighty-two games later, the NBA regular season has come to a close, and things went down to the wire as teams jostled for position ahead of the playoffs.
A lot had already been wrapped up by the final week in the Eastern Conference, but in the West, there was just so much to play for. So, who were the big winners and losers in the last seven days of the NBA regular season?
Winners: Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have become a big problem. On Sunday, the standout game was between the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, with the winner heading for the playoffs. It was an incredible game and a sensational way to end the regular season, with the Clippers eventually coming out on top 124-119 in overtime to secure a fifth-place finish.
In the last 20 games, the Clippers have a 17-3 record and have the second-best offensive anddefensive ratings in the entirety of the NBA.
In James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have two special players. The former has been playing at an all-NBA level all season, while Kawhi has finally stayed healthy and showcased all the qualities that have made him one of the most unplayable and terrifying players in the league – at both ends of the court.
Big man Ivica Zubac is also having an amazing season, averaging 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. His connection with Harden has been exceptional.
This team are a real dark horse now, and it would surprise no one if they made a charge to the Conference Finals. They come up against the Denver Nuggets in a fantastic first-round meeting.
Losers: Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have been one of the best teams in the NBA in the last few months. Since the trade of Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have been 23-7, thrusting themselves firmly into playoff contention.
However, the defeat to the Clippers on the final day will come as a huge blow to Steve Kerr’s side. The Warriors will now have to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament to secure a spot in the postseason.
While they will undoubtedly be big favourites to win that game, it will be incredibly frustrating for some of their ageing players (37-year-old Stephen Curry, 35-year-old Draymond Green, 35-year-old Butler) that they won’t get a week off and will have to get straight back into action on Tuesday night.
Winners: Houston Rockets
One of the most exciting young teams in the NBA, the Houston Rockets, secured a second-place finish in the West last week, leaving them with a potential meeting with either the Warriors or the Memphis Grizzlies.
In Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jalen Green, the Rockets have a number of future superstars on their hands, with the former being selected as an all-star for the first time earlier this season.
Coach Ime Udoka has done a remarkable job turning Houston into genuine contenders after four seasons of lowly finishes. Question marks remain whether this team has the experience and know-how to go on a deep run, but with one of the best defences in the league, they will not be an easy team to beat.
Losers: Memphis Grizzlies
It was a tough end to the season for the Grizzlies as their hopes of clinching an automatic spot in the playoffs faded away.
A crushing and fatal defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night was followed up by another loss to the Denver Nuggets the following night.
Despite beating the Dallas Mavericks on the final day, their fate was already all but sealed, and results couldn’t fall their way.
They face a tough trip to the Bay against the Warriors in the play-in tournament, and should they lose, they will come up against either the Sacramento Kings or Dallas Mavericks in the last-chance saloon.
Should they beat one of those two teams, they will have to go head-to-head with the top seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the opening round.
After their shock firing of coach Taylor Jenkins at the end of March, it is hard to see them making it past the first round – if they can even make it out of the play-in tournament!
Winners: Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers secured a third-place finish in the Western Conference last week, and have left themselves perfectly poised for a playoff run.
There were many questions over the Lakers’ lack of a high-quality big man, but they have managed to manoeuvre the situation brilliantly by playing hard and giving some incredible effort on the defensive end of the court. Dorian Finney-Smith has been invaluable in that aspect.
And there are little doubts about their offensive prowess, with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James all hitting top form ahead of the playoffs.
Luka is one of the greatest playoff performers of all time, and with a strong supporting cast around him, the Lakers will fancy their chances of making it out of the West. They come up against the Timberwolves in the first round.
Losers: Dallas Mavericks
What a rotten season for the Dallas Mavericks.
Losing the face of the city and franchise superstar Luka Doncic was a heartbreaking moment for Dallas fans, and that heartbreak was brought to the fore again when the Slovenian returned home for the first time as the Los Angeles Lakers came to town last week.
One of the most powerful images of the season came ahead of this game, as Luka was given a heartwarming video tribute, highlighting his greatest moments in a Mavs shirt. And Luka could barely contain his emotions, with tears in his eyes and a trembling bottom lip.
This man loves the Mavericks. He loves the city of Dallas. But the franchise traded him. The decision still makes absolutely no sense, and it’ll continue to make no sense until the end of time.
That was compounded by the fact that Luka then went on to torch his former team, scoring 45 points, recording eight rebounds and providing six assists in a comfortable 112-97 win. Incredibly, every bucket was cheered by the home fans.
‘Fire Nico’ chants rang out throughout the stadium, with the main architect of the trade, Nico Harrison, at the game.
With five losses from their final six games, the Mavericks missed the chance of a ninth-place finish, losing out on home-court advantage against the Sacramento Kings in their opening play-in game.
But really, it feels like their season fizzled out a while ago, and it is hard to see how they make it out of the play-in tournament. From the NBA Finals in 2024 to a broken team in 2025.
Winners: Minnesota Timberwolves
After throwing away a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter to the Milwaukee Bucks, it looked like the Minnesota Timberwolves had missed their chance to secure a straight spot in the playoffs.
However, three wins in a row to end the season saw them seal a sixth-place finish, meaning their record since March 5th is 15 wins and four losses.
They take on the Lakers in the first playoff round, and while many think they are underdogs, Anthony Edwards will be thinking otherwise.
A superstar in the NBA and one of the most entertaining players to watch, he will be chomping at the bit to take on a star-studded Lakers lineup. Like he did when he dumped out Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns in the first round last year, he will be thinking he can do the same against the Lakers.
Losers: Miami Heat
It has been a pretty tumultuous season for the Miami Heat, which was summed up by the Jimmy Butler saga earlier this year.
And last week, the Heat missed out on the chance to leapfrog the Chicago Bulls into ninth after losing to them in what was a pretty important game, 119-111.
Being defeated by the side they will have to face in the first play-in game will certainly damage morale, and missing out on home-court advantage will also be a blow.
Worryingly, they also have a 0-3 record against the Bulls this season, as they have struggled to handle Josh Giddey, as well as hang onto leads against their Chicago opponents.
Certainly, the Heat always tend to make themselves a factor in the postseason, but without ‘Playoff Jimmy’, it will be a much tougher task for Erik Spoelstra as he aims to keep them alive for a little longer.
Winners: Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers claimed a fine 114-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference and, most importantly, home-court advantage. With seven wins from their last eight games, they finished the regular season in style.
A team that always seems to go under the radar, the Pacers have made the playoffs for a second straight season with their exhilarating, offensive basketball.
In what is arguably the best match-up of the first round, the Pacers will now meet the Milwaukee Bucks, a game that is slowly becoming a fierce rivalry.
Indiana beat Milwaukee at the same stage in the postseason last year, and they will be gunning to do the same. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024, they have even more experience under their belt, and their defence is a lot stronger compared to before.
A bit of both: Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are in a really strange and unpredictable position.
After shocking the entirety of the NBA world by sacking the most successful coach in their history, Michael Malone, at the start of last week, it seemed like the Nuggets would be in real trouble.
Not giving the only man in history to guide their franchise to an NBA title felt like poor form from the higher-ups, and he surely deserved the playoffs at least before being moved on.
But since they fired Malone, the Nuggets have won three games in a row, which means they were able to finish fourth in the Western Conference.
Is there an argument that moving Malone on may have freed up a lot of the Denver players, with reports claiming that he had lost the dressing room? Potentially.
Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke hinted at problems behind the scenes, and he simply had no option to get rid of Malone.
One man who is fired up now though, is the best basketball player in the world, Nikola Jokic. The big Serb gave a phenomenal quote after the Nuggets beat the Sacramento Kings last Wednesday, which is ominous for the rest of the NBA.
“People say that we were vulnerable, but the beast is always the most dangerous when they’re vulnerable.”
“Maybe, he woke up the beast.”
