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Postseason Seeding Set For Eastern Conference

April 11th, 2025 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Wins by the Orlando, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Chicago on Friday night have locked in the playoff seeds for all six Eastern Conference playoff teams, along with the four play-in clubs.

Here’s how the top 10 teams in the East will finish the regular season, as the NBA confirms (via Twitter):

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers
  2. Boston Celtics
  3. New York Knicks
  4. Indiana Pacers
  5. Milwaukee Bucks
  6. Detroit Pistons
  7. Orlando Magic
  8. Atlanta Hawks
  9. Chicago Bulls
  10. Miami Heat

The play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference will feature the Magic hosting the Hawks on Tuesday and the Bulls hosting the Heat on Wednesday. The Orlando/Atlanta winner will claim the No. 7 spot in the playoffs and face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The loser of that game will host the Chicago/Miami winner on Friday for the No. 8 spot and the right to face the Cavaliers in round one.

The Knicks will match up with the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, while the Pacers and Bucks will meet in round one for a second consecutive year, with Indiana claiming home court advantage this time around.

We got a little more clarity on the Western Conference playoff picture by the end of Friday night, with the Lakers clinching the No. 3 seed by beating Houston and the Grizzlies now locked into the play-in tournament as a result of their loss to Denver. However, there are still several playoff berths and seeds up in the air, with the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, and Timberwolves vying for the final three spots in the West’s top six.

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Atlantic Notes: Whitehead, Brown, Boucher, Knicks

April 10th, 2025 at 5:41pm CST by Tristan Tucker

As the Nets near the end of the season, their priority in the last three games will be evaluating which players might be a part of their future. As Bridget Reilly of the New York Post writes, 2023 first-round forward Dariq Whitehead is hoping to prove he should stick around with the franchise for the long run.

Still just 20 years old, Whitehead has been limited to just 19 NBA games in his first two seasons after dealing with several injuries, including a stress reaction on his leg that ended his rookie year. The Duke product said he feels he’s almost back to 100% health.

“I feel it coming,” Whitehead said. “I will say it’s night and day from just trusting my body and stuff. Doing things I haven’t done in two years, which is amazing for me and I’m sure it’s amazing for the coaches and staff to see.”

In 17 games this year, Whitehead is averaging 6.2 points while shooting 44.8% on 3.9 three-point attempts per game. Over 75% of his shots have come from beyond the arc.

“This is going to be an important summer for me,” Whitehead said. “Since I’ve been hurt, I haven’t been able to just work on those things, which is getting my athleticism back and just doing certain movements. Just me attacking this summer is going to be really important for me.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Celtics star Jaylen Brown is out for the team’s Friday game against the Hornets, according to The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn (Twitter link). As Washburn notes, that means Brown won’t reach the 65-game threshold necessary to be eligible for postseason awards.
  • Chris Boucher has been a long-term fixture of the Raptors, making the team out of training camp in 2018/19 and becoming part of that season’s championship roster. As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes, there is mutual interest in another contract between Boucher and the Raptors as he hits unrestricted free agency this summer. The big man has had a strong season, averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game, though his role has fluctuated. “Obviously it’s not ideal, but it’s the business. I know how things go by now,” Boucher said of his minutes. “I’m trying to stay positive with how my life is and see the positive stuff, and I think I had a great year, too. I think that helps, knowing that I’m growing and being the player and the person that I want to be, so I take those wins. The season went by pretty quick, so I’ll enjoy the last few games and see what happens.”
  • The Knicks are showing a willingness to rest players in the last part of the season, Howie Kussoy of the New York Post writes. If New York wins on Thursday or Indiana loses, the Knicks will clinch the third seed. OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson will sit out of Thursday’s contest. New York’s playoff roster last season was depleted by injuries, so the team appears to be doing what it can do avoid history repeating itself.
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Final Check-In On Open NBA Roster Spots

April 10th, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

With just four days left in the NBA’s regular season, there are still a few teams around the league with open 15-man roster spots, and there’s little downside to filling those openings before the regular season ends.

For playoff teams, adding one more player would create a little extra depth in the event of postseason injuries or garbage-time minutes. For non-playoff teams, it makes sense to try to convince a young player to accept a multiyear deal that includes little or no guaranteed money beyond this season, since it gives those teams another option for next year’s roster.

Even clubs over the luxury tax line or right up against it shouldn’t have a problem paying one more player a prorated minimum salary for the last day or two of the season — the prorated minimum for a veteran on a rest-of-season deal is just $11,997 per day, which is a drop in the bucket for NBA franchises.

With all that in mind, it’s safe to assume that some – if not all – of the teams with open roster spots should fill them by Sunday. Here are those teams:

  • Boston Celtics
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Golden State Warriors
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Toronto Raptors (2)

The Mavericks‘ plans for their open 15-man roster spot have already been reported. They intend to promote two-way player Brandon Williams to a standard contract and likely would’ve done it much sooner if they’d had enough room under their hard cap to do so.

The Pelicans technically have 16 players on standard contracts as of today, but two of those players – Elfrid Payton and Kylor Kelley – are on 10-day contracts that will expire this weekend. I’d expect New Orleans to look to sign Payton, Kelley or someone else to a multiyear contract that gives the club some roster flexibility beyond this season.

The Raptors opened up a pair of roster spots on Thursday by waiving Orlando Robinson and Cole Swider, both of whom were on rest-of-season contracts. Their reported plan is to fill those two spots in the coming days with players on multiyear deals — Robinson and/or Swider may even return, though Colin Castleton is reportedly also on Toronto’s radar, and a promotion of two-way player A.J. Lawson is a possibility too.

The other two teams here – the Celtics and Warriors – are either assured of a playoff spot (in Boston’s case) or are well positioned to make it (in Golden State’s case). But that doesn’t necessarily mean each of those teams will sign a win-now veteran as a 15th man. They already have enough depth on their respective rosters that they may prefer to add a younger prospect – perhaps a two-way player or someone from the G League – on a multiyear deal.

While there are only five teams with open spots on their 15-man rosters, that doesn’t necessarily mean those five clubs are the only candidates to make roster moves in the next few days.

Teams without an open roster spot could waive one of their current 15 players in order to make room for a new addition or a promoted two-way player. They’ll likely have to make that decision very soon though — 4:00 pm Central time on Thursday is the deadline to waive a player on an expiring contract in order to ensure he clears waivers before the final day of the regular season, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

The Cavaliers (Chuma Okeke), Kings (Terence Davis), and Knicks (P.J. Tucker) are among the teams who had been carrying an open 15-man roster spot but who have filled that opening this month.

Finally, it’s worth noting that there are a handful of clubs with two-way contract slots available, but the deadline for two-way signings passed in early March, so those roster spots will remain open.

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Cavaliers Clinch Top Seed In Eastern Conference

April 9th, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Rory Maher

By defeating Chicago on Tuesday, the Cavaliers secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2016, as ESPN.com relays.

“Yeah, I mean I think you celebrate these moments,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “You know, we’ll talk about going forward, what that looks like, but today, tonight we celebrate. And, you know, I think the guys are super happy in that locker room.”

Cleveland’s victory also means that the defending champion Celtics are locked into the No. 2 seed in the East entering the playoffs.

Atkinson said he’ll talk to his coaching staff and players about the plan for the final three games of the season — resting regulars is one option. He said he would prefer Donovan Mitchell to sit the remaining regular season contests to fully heal after sustaining a left ankle sprain on Sunday. Mitchell missed Tuesday’s game with the injury.

“I think there are various options on the table. It’s going to be a collaborative thing and the players are part of it,” Atkinson said. “What is their feel on rhythm? We can do intrasquad scrimmages to prepare. We can do a lot of things to get ready.”

The Rockets didn’t play on Tuesday, but they clinched the No. 2 seed in the West when the Thunder beat the Lakers, notes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. The Thunder secured the West’s top seed three weeks ago.

Unlike the East, where the six guaranteed playoff spots were already known last week, the three through six spots in the West are still up for grabs. Only two games separate the No. 3 Lakers from the No. 8 Timberwolves with the regular season set to conclude on Sunday.

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Marcus Smart: ‘Control What I Can Control’

April 7th, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

For years, Marcus Smart dreamed of bringing a championship to Boston, so it felt odd to be back at TD Garden on Sunday with the rebuilding Wizards, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.

Smart didn’t play, despite loud chants from Celtics fans for coach Brian Keefe to put him in the game. Keefe explained that he’s focused on giving time to younger players as the season winds down. With one year left on his contract at $21.6MM, it’s uncertain whether Smart’s NBA future will be in Washington.

“Control what I can control,” he said. “That’s been my motto, and that’s kind of how it’s going to stand. These last couple years, you’ve seen things that you probably didn’t expect to see, you experienced things that you probably didn’t expect to experience, and it kind of brings things to the surface for you. You’ve just got to control what you can control.”

Smart was a popular figure in Boston for nine years as part of the young core that turned the Celtics into title contenders again. He was a fiery competitor and demonstrative leader who won Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022.

His career abruptly changed a year later when he was sent to Memphis in a three-team deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. Injuries limited his effectiveness with the Grizzlies, as he played just 20 games last season and 19 this year before being traded to the Wizards in February.

He’s averaging a career-low 18.7 minutes per night in 15 games with Washington while taking a back seat to his youthful teammates. He has embraced the role of a veteran leader and is impressed at how well his messages are being received.

“They’re calling me ‘Unc’ and things like that,” Smart said. “I ain’t ready for that. But it’s great. It’s a great group of young guys here, and the thing that I love about them is they’re ready to learn and they’re willing to learn. They’re constantly asking me questions, constantly asking me to demonstrate things, and that’s what you ask for. As a competitor, as a player yourself, when guys come up to you, that’s a great feeling. It allows you to see that what you’re doing and the impact that you’ve made hasn’t gone unnoticed, and keep doing it. So I was very excited.”

Keefe said Smart has been “terrific” since the trade and has served as a “tremendous leader, tremendous player,” Robb adds in a separate story. While it’s a rewarding role, it’s not what Smart wants to be at age 31. He believes he can still help a contender, and there may be several teams inquiring about him this summer.

The Wizards also acquired Khris Middleton from Milwaukee at the trade deadline, so they’ll have choices to make about whether to hold onto their two veterans or try to flip them for assets to help with the rebuilding project.

“I’m one of probably the biggest competitors in this league,” Smart said. “As long as I’m able to be out there, I want to be out there and I’m going to be out there. Where, when, how – that’s not in my control. All I can do is control my preparation and be prepared for whatever is thrown at me. So obviously I would like to get back to that play of racking up those minutes and really getting out there with those guys, but like I said, control what I can control.”

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Injury Notes: Giannis, Avdija, K. Murray, Celtics, Knicks

April 6th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went from questionable to doubtful to out for Sunday’s game against New Orleans, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (All Twitter links). The two-time MVP is dealing with left shoulder tendinopathy.

It’s worth noting that Milwaukee was on the second end of a back-to-back and officially clinched a playoff spot in the East on Saturday. That’s not to suggest that Antetokounmpo’s injury isn’t legitimate, but there’s also no reason to rush him back when the team has already secured a playoff berth.

Antetokounmpo, who has made the All-NBA First Team each of the past six seasons, will need to play in one of the Bucks’ final four games to qualify for major postseason awards. He has been playing some of his basketball of the season recently, averaging 36.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 13.7 assists and 1.7 steals on .638/.500/.838 shooting over the past three games, all victories (39.3 minutes per contest).

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

  • Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is another player who’s been on a tear to close out 2024/25, averaging 26.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals on .520/.457/.817 shooting over his past 13 games (36.6 MPG). However, he recently sustained a sprained right thumb and was ruled out of Sunday’s victory over San Antonio, the team announced (Twitter links). Sacramento’s win over Cleveland on Sunday has officially eliminated Portland from play-in contention, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. That means the Blazers will have a lottery pick for the fourth straight year.
  • Keegan Murray has been quite durable over his first three NBA seasons, playing 80 games as a rookie in ’22/23 and 77 in ’23/24. He missed his fourth game of ’24/25 on Sunday due to back soreness, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). Trey Lyles started at forward in Murray’s place during the Kings‘ victory, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The fourth overall pick of the 2022 draft, Murray will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
  • The Celtics played without Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) on Sunday, but they still made quick work of the 17-win Wizards, Brian Robb writes in a pair of stories for MassLive.com. Tatum was initially listed as questionable before being ruled out, while Porzingis was a late scratch.
  • As expected, the Knicks had Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride back in action for Sunday’s contest vs. Phoenix, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (Twitter links). Brunson had missed the past 15 games with a right ankle sprain, whereas McBride had missed the past eight with a left groin injury.
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Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Kornet, Brown, Horford, White

April 5th, 2025 at 7:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are locked into the No. 2 seed in the East, but they still have goals for the final week of the regular season, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Apart from keeping the roster healthy heading into the playoffs, coach Joe Mazzulla wants to get a look at several lineup combinations to expand his postseason options.

Washburn notes that Mazzulla has started using a double-big lineup with Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet as a counter against teams relying on small-ball to limit the Celtics’ three-point attempts. Porzingis and Kornet combined for 52 paint points Friday against Phoenix while often being guarded by smaller players.

“There’s always stuff we need to continue to get better at and push ourselves and hold ourselves to a standard,” Mazzulla said. “More importantly it’s just to make sure we get reps. We were able to do some stuff at shootaround. We tried to get (the starters) higher in minutes and reps together and I thought they did a good job of that.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Jaylen Brown, who’s dealing with a bone bruise in his right knee, is adapting to playing without his usual athleticism, Washburn adds. He scored 31 points Friday night, but most of those came in the paint and he frequently opted for layups instead of exploding to the rim for dunks. Brown has been on a minutes restriction, and it looks like the knee will continue to be an issue in the playoffs. “Even though my team can physically see I’m in a bit of pain, they trust me to go out there and control my body and be able to make plays,” Brown said. “I push through it and I think that’s something I’m going to have to have in my back pocket. It’s been constant communication, and I appreciate Joe because he’s given me grace. He’s letting me feel through it. He understands where it’s at. He’s letting me play through some stuff. I still want him to hold me to the same standard, but I appreciate Joe for the communication. It’s good to have that now rather than trying to figure it out once everything is on the line.”
  • The Celtics are offering strong support for Al Horford, who has been named as a finalist for the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award, per Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe. The award recognizes leadership, mentorship, selfless play and dedication to the team. “It’s a no-brainer that he should get it,” Mazzulla said. “You can’t really put into words what he’s able to do. I mean, the respect that he has of the guys. What people don’t know is how innately competitive he is day in and day out. He just sets the tone, more with his actions than anything else. I really hope he gets it. He deserves it. He’s one of the best teammates and we’re lucky to have him.”
  • Jayson Tatum believes Derrick White needs to develop more “street cred” by arguing with officials, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Tatum was thrilled when a technical foul was announced against White on Friday, but it turned out to be an error. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” Tatum said. “I just heard technical foul D-White, so I got excited. I was going to go give him a huge hug or something.”
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Celtics Notes: Brown, Pritchard, Scheierman, Craig

April 4th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has talked with medical specialists in an effort to find relief from the pain caused by a bone bruise in his right knee, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Brown told reporters last week that he’s playing on a minutes restriction, and he provided more insight into the injury after Wednesday’s loss to Miami.

“I’ve seen some specialists and stuff like that, but we’ve got a great medical staff and we’ve got good people around,” Brown said. “So come playoffs, my goal is to be feeling my best. So we’re just working through that, and it’s a thing that we kind of manage and you push through. But we’ve got a good plan in place. So come playoffs, my goal is to be feeling my best.”

Brown has managed to be effective despite the injury, posting 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists on Wednesday. He needs to play in five of Boston’s six remaining regular season games to reach the 65-game minimum to be considered for postseason honors, but he said that won’t be a consideration in how often he’ll be active.

“I’ve had to come to grips that every night I’m not going to feel my normal self,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I still can’t make plays and things like that. So it’s just something that we are working through. Today was a good step forward. I got some stuff lined up with the medical staff in order to be and feel better come playoffs. But as for now, just mentally working through not feeling great, but still able to find ways to be effective.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Payton Pritchard‘s new shoe contract with Converse shows how far he has come in his brief NBA career, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Pritchard is considered the favorite for Sixth Man of the Year honors, but it wasn’t long ago that he was stuck deep on Boston’s bench and was requesting a trade to another team that could give him a larger role. “It wasn’t like I asked for a trade request because I hated the city (or) I hated the organization,” he said. “I believed in what I was able to do and perform at a high level. And obviously, they decided not to trade me. Through my work ethic, I earned opportunity.”
  • Rookie Baylor Scheierman‘s emergence as a reliable three-point shooter may have been the Celtics’ most significant development in March, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. The first-round pick connected at nearly 50% from three-point range during the month, and Robb observes that other parts of his game have improved as he’s gained more shooting confidence. Robb adds that Scheierman has eclipsed Torrey Craig, who signed as a free agent after the trade deadline, and is now a better option as a shooter off the bench.
  • Wednesday’s loss may have been surprising after a 6-0 road trip, but it continued an unusual trend, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Celtics are now 0-5 this season when they return to TD Garden after being on the road for at least three games. “Those first games back, that’s always a tough one just from a calibration standpoint,” Brown said. “We’ve been in three different time zones. You’ve been away from home. You just get home and kind of get settled, and then you have to play a basketball game. So sometimes it’s just like — it be like that sometimes.”
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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark

April 2nd, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:

In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.

Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.

Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.

Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.

Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.

Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.

Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.

That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.

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