Predicting the Final NBA Standings: Who Will Come Out on Top?

With the season still ongoing, there is a lot at stake. Playoff seedings, the SoFi Play-In Tournament order, and the Draft lottery participants are all up in the air, waiting to be decided. As some teams continue to battle for their place, the final weeks of the season will be crucial for determining who will come out on top.

With that, here’s how the regular season standings in the Eastern and Western Conferences could look this time next month, with teams listed in their predicted order of finish.

The calendar is ticking and, as it relates to the 24-second shot clock, there’s only enough time to get off one more good look.

Eastern Conference

The playoff 6

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: A smashing season shows no signs of worry as the Cavaliers power their way toward the playoffs, comfortably as the top seed. The only goal from here to season’s end is to stay healthy, tap into additional motivation methods and understand the stakes. Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland will all be mentioned for seasonal awards.

2. Boston Celtics: A tendency to become bored with the regular season and the surprising staying power of the Cavaliers are why the Celtics are locked into second place. It’s not a bad place, and it means there will be no home-court advantage if it’s the Celtics vs. Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are heating up at the right time and Jrue Holiday is finally off the training table. Kristaps Porziņģis is next.

3. New York Knicks: Below-average defense, an inability to beat better teams and now Jalen Brunson’s ankle injury are conspiring to prevent the Knicks from climbing higher than third in the East. Those issues need to be addressed before the playoffs for New York to have any hope of at least reaching the East Finals (the Knicks are 0-5 against the Celtics and Cavaliers).

4. Indiana Pacers: When Tyrese Haliburton hit that incredible falling 3-pointer in the final seconds against the Bucks on Tuesday, it made you wonder: Where would this team be if Haliburton returned to the level of last season? Maybe that will happen in the playoffs. That’s why the Pacers have upside going forward.

5. Milwaukee Bucks: As if the Bucks didn’t have trouble enough trying to secure a top-three spot in the East, Bobby Portis’ 25-game suspension certainly didn’t help. So much falls on the shoulders of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard because Brook Lopez can’t jump anymore (five rebounds per game, his lowest average since 2021-22), Kyle Kuzma is still trying to fit in and the bench is limited.

6. Detroit Pistons: They can still rise to fourth in the East, but for now, let’s just say top-six seems safe enough. Regardless, what a difference a year makes for Cade Cunningham and the plucky Pistons. That is what Detroit should be celebrating. Oh, and nobody wants to play them in the first round.

The SoFi Play-In Tournament 4

1. Atlanta Hawks: The record doesn’t show it but this Hawks team is flourishing. Dyson Daniels was stolen (pun intended) from the Pelicans, rookie Zaccharie Risacher is progressing nicely and Caris LeVert has balled out since arriving midseason from Cleveland. Trae Young has pieces around him and its too bad injured Jalen Johnson isn’t one of them.

2. Miami Heat: The season was lost when Jimmy Butler lost his joy (translation: He wasn’t getting an extension). Tyler Herro became an All-Star and rookie Kel’el Ware is flashing promise. But Bam Adebayo is having a down year (for him) and even if the Heat make the playoffs, there’s no “Playoff Jimmy” for them.

3. Orlando Magic: Lost in the grief given to the fall of the Mavericks and Sixers is the stumble of the Magic. At one point Orlando was a top-four team in the East. Sure, injuries happened to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, but still. Securing a playoff spot would go a long way in salvaging what’s left of the season for a team that took a step backward.

4. Chicago Bulls: Coby White and Josh Giddey are making spring interesting for the Bulls. This team still must address the impression that it lacks a long-term plan, but that’s for the offseason. For now, making the Play-In and giving rising rookie Matas Buzelis a taste of urgency is a good thing.

The Lottery 5

1. Toronto Raptors: An inability to win on the road (7-23) and porous defense is dooming any chance of an otherwise decent team to make the Play-In. A lineup of RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl shouldn’t be in this position.

2. Brooklyn Nets: They played their way out of the chance to bottom out and secure the No. 1 pick, which is both noble and head-scratching. There’s ample young talent on the roster, though, and plenty of cap space and Draft capital to trigger a turnaround in 2025-26.

3. Philadelphia 76ers: Wiseguys will compare this to “The Process,” but at least that came with zero expectations. Which makes 2024-25 so discouraging. The Sixers are reeling from a pair of decisions last summer: Joel Embiid playing in the 2024 Olympics and the offseason signing of Paul George.

4. Charlotte Hornets: If the Hornets win the Draft lottery, it means Duke’s Cooper Flagg — the consensus choice at No. 1 — would hoop in the state of North Carolina next season.

5. Washington Wizards: Gee, Wiz.

Western Conference

The playoff 6

1. Oklahoma City Thunder: The future is now in OKC as the Thunder assume the position as Team To Beat, at least in the West. Here’s what’s scary about the Thunder: defense, depth and, of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They are fun to watch, so get used to it because we might be watching them for months more.

2. Denver Nuggets: If this is what passes for a down season, the Nuggets will take it. Jamal Murray’s inconsistencies, Aaron Gordon’s ailments and a bench that hasn’t generated much confidence haven’t defeated Denver just yet. The Nuggets are also comforted by a 2-2 split with OKC this year. Also: Nikola Jokić is, in a word, incredible.

3. Memphis Grizzlies: The last time Ja Morant was both healthy and not serving a suspension, the Grizzlies were among the top three teams in the West, 50-game winners and a threat to at least reach the Western Conference Finals. Have they returned to that lofty perch? It’s murky and not (yet) definitive. Morant isn’t as efficient now as then but still capable of sending shivers one dunk at a time. The help around him and Jaren Jackson Jr. is good but young.

4. Los Angeles Lakers: It was reasonable to believe the Luka Dončić trade was done more for the future than the present, yet here the Lakers are, flirting with second place in the West. The past few months were impressive — defense! — and LeBron James once again defied geriatric laws. But, he’s on the mend and the Lakers’ lack of quality size could haunt them.

5. Golden State Warriors: The combination of Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry, both reborn since midseason, has the Warriors on the express elevator going up. Suddenly, Golden State seems recharged and ready for what’s next. A first-round series with the Lakers is the matchup we need and deserve.

6. Houston Rockets: A 5-11 record from late January to early March sent the Rockets plummeting but there’s enough talent here to prevent further bleeding. Besides, all things considered, this season is a stepping stone for a mainly young team. Let’s see if Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson keep developing.

The SoFi Play-In Tournament 4

1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Last season’s conference finalist has been humbled. Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley have endured down seasons and the first-year results from Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo are mixed. The good news: Naz Reid is playing for a big extension and Anthony Edwards seems up to the challenge.

2. LA Clippers: Imagine finally getting Kawhi Leonard healthy again, and the team subsequently falls in the standings. The Clippers and James Harden might prove dangerous in a first-round matchup, but they must first get to the playoffs.

3. Sacramento Kings: Zach LaVine is accomplishing two things simultaneously: reviving his career and the Kings’ season. It appears there is life after De’Aaron Fox, after all. That said, it also appears the “beam” burned bright for only one season for this team. The energy within Sacramento doesn’t seem as intense now. Time to change the bulb by changing the roster around Domantas Sabonis this summer.

4. Dallas Mavericks: For a team ravaged by injuries, maybe the most painful one was the gut-punch after the Dončić trade. What a series of unfortunate events since sitting in fourth place in December, maybe unprecedented in NBA history.

The Lottery 5

1. Phoenix Suns: You say they’re in better shape than Dallas? Perhaps. But: Phoenix has the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, and you’re also asking a fractured team to suddenly conduct a cultural and emotional shift at the 11th hour. Until proven otherwise, the Suns don’t appear enthusiastic about their purpose.

2. San Antonio Spurs: It was a wrap last month when Victor Wembanyama became a permanent scratch. And maybe expecting the Spurs’ growth to accelerate this quickly was a bit much, even after adding Fox at the deadline. San Antonio fans are hoping they get a little lucky in the Draft lottery … because that hasn’t happened before in franchise history.

3. Portland Trail Blazers: Too little, too late for the Blazers, who showed encouraging spurts this spring but never could overcome a tough start to the season. Nagging questions remain about Scoot Henderson, the wisdom of not making a major trade at the deadline and coach Chauncey Billups’ future.

4. New Orleans Pelicans: Hey, look: Zion Williamson is healthy and showing bounce. That will have to be the consolation prize for the Pelicans in 2024-25. For yet another season in the Williamson era, the Pelicans fall short of expectations (way short this time). Come summer, what they do, if anything, about Williamson will reveal this team’s intentions going forward.

5. Utah Jazz: They’ve been Draft lottery-or-bust since the holidays, when a chair was reserved for them in the green room.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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