[ESPN] NBA 季后赛——周日的比赛将决定哪些季后赛和乐透区席位？

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By Tim Bontemps | ESPN, 2025-04-12 20:00:00

由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

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每支NBA球队都已完成了81场比赛，在周日这个常规赛的最后一天，仍然有很多值得争夺的东西。

即使已经进行了1215场比赛，季后赛和乐透区排名中的许多位置仍然悬而未决，所有30支球队都将参加本赛季的第82场也是最后一场比赛。

对于一些球队来说，这将标志着休赛期的开始，并等待5月12日举行的NBA选秀乐透中乒乓球的落点。而对于另一些球队来说，这仅仅是他们希望为期两个月的季后赛征程的开始，最终将有一支球队举起拉里·奥布莱恩杯。

考虑到所有这些，以下是常规赛结束时的情况，首先从竞争激烈的西部开始：

跳转至：

西部 | 东部

选秀乐透

西部联盟

哪些球队已经锁定？

  1. 俄克拉荷马城雷霆

雷霆队早就锁定了联盟和西部联盟的头名，并保证在整个季后赛中都拥有主场优势。如果他们在周日的新奥尔良获胜，他们将成为NBA历史上第七支在一个赛季中至少赢得68场比赛的球队。

  1. 休斯顿火箭

和雷霆一样，火箭队也已经稳居第二名一段时间了，他们用NBA中最令人印象深刻和出人意料的战绩之一，锁定了前两轮比赛的主场优势。然而，火箭队将在如何确定剩余席位方面发挥重要作用（更多内容见下文）。

  1. 洛杉矶湖人

凭借周五战胜火箭的比赛，湖人队锁定了第三的席位。但湖人队，像他们前面的雷霆队和火箭队一样，正在等待西部赛区底部球队的混乱局面尘埃落定。

还有什么悬而未决？

简而言之：其他一切！

  1. 丹佛掘金

掘金队掌握着自己的命运。如果掘金队击败已经锁定第二种子的火箭队，那么对于这支球队来说，动荡的一周将以确保首轮主场优势而结束。

  1. 洛杉矶快船

快船队的道路也类似，他们在周五于萨克拉门托获胜，这使他们处于锁定季后赛席位的边缘。然而，与掘金队不同，快船队面临着更加严峻的考验：在旧金山与勇士队的比赛。

一场胜利，加上掘金队的失利，意味着快船队将排名第四。一场胜利加上掘金队的胜利意味着快船队将在第一轮面对掘金队。一场失利很可能会将快船队推入附加赛。

  1. 明尼苏达森林狼

如果森林狼队没有在本周早些时候将24分的下半场领先优势拱手让给雄鹿队，他们本可以获得主场优势。不过，如果明尼苏达队能够击败犹他爵士队，他们将确保在西部联盟中排名前六。（而且，由于对掘金队和快船队的赛季横扫，如果排在他们前面的两支球队在周日都输球，明尼苏达队可以获得第四种子。）

现在，事情变得复杂了，因为晚些时候的比赛将决定谁能摆脱西部附加赛。

  1. 金州勇士

勇士队，像森林狼队一样，在最后一天到来之前，也有一场比赛值得反思，此前哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)在周三晚上投中制胜三分球击败了他的前东家。不过，在周五击败波特兰之后，金州勇士队需要在周日赢得一场比赛才能确保在西部联盟中排名前六。

如果勇士队和森林狼队都赢球，那么森林狼队将排名第五，勇士队将排名第六，快船队将排名第七，这取决于三支球队之间的交手纪录。

金州勇士队由于对阵孟菲斯的交手记录优势，不可能低于第七名，从而至少确保了主场进行第一场附加赛的机会。

  1. 孟菲斯灰熊

灰熊队有机会在周五晚上击败掘金队，从而制造更大的排名混乱。然而，那场失利意味着灰熊队（主场迎战达拉斯）需要帮助才能摆脱第八名的位置。

现在孟菲斯已经无法逃脱附加赛。但是如果明尼苏达队输给垫底的爵士队，灰熊队可以进入第七名。孟菲斯队要么前往金州勇士队，要么主场迎战明尼苏达队，因为在潜在的三队平局中，森林狼队将排名第八。

  1. 萨克拉门托国王，10. 达拉斯独行侠

让我们来看看西部联盟最后两个季后赛席位的（相对）简单的等式。

在国王队输给洛杉矶快船队，独行侠队在周五击败多伦多猛龙队之后，国王队和独行侠队在周日以相同的战绩进入比赛。

然而，国王队掌握着自己的命运。通过在常规赛中横扫独行侠队，萨克拉门托队需要战胜菲尼克斯队——或者达拉斯队输球——才能确保主场进行9-10名附加赛。

东部联盟

已经锁定的：

一切！值得注意的是，周五的结果锁定了东部季后赛的所有10个席位：

  1. 克利夫兰骑士

  2. 波士顿凯尔特人

  3. 纽约尼克斯

  4. 印第安纳步行者

  5. 密尔沃基雄鹿

  6. 底特律活塞

  7. 奥兰多魔术

  8. 亚特兰大老鹰

  9. 芝加哥公牛

  10. 迈阿密热火

选秀乐透排名

1/2. 犹他爵士和华盛顿奇才

在犹他爵士和华盛顿奇才队周五都输球之后，他们以17胜64负的战绩并列联盟最差战绩进入周日的比赛。如果两支球队最终战绩相同——犹他队在明尼苏达比赛，而华盛顿队在迈阿密比赛——那么如果两支球队都没有在选秀中上升（乐透区前三名的球队都拥有相同的几率），那么抛硬币将决定哪支球队排名更高。

  1. 夏洛特黄蜂

  2. 新奥尔良鹈鹕

  3. 费城76人

  4. 布鲁克林篮网

  5. 多伦多猛龙

  6. 圣安东尼奥马刺

爵士队和奇才队之后的六支球队都已锁定位置。受此影响最大的是费城76人队，尽管他们在周五输给了亚特兰大，但他们还是正式锁定了第五名。费城现在将保留其前六顺位受保护的首轮选秀权，除非下个月的选秀乐透中有几支排在76人队之后的球队跳到他们前面。如果发生这种情况，并且选秀权落在第7位或更低，那么它将作为五年前艾尔·霍福德(Al Horford)和丹尼·格林(Danny Green)交易的一部分转到俄克拉荷马城雷霆队。

9/10. 波特兰开拓者和菲尼克斯太阳

在常规赛的最后一天，开拓者队将与湖人队交手，湖人队已经锁定了第三种子，而太阳队将与国王队交手，国王队正在争夺季后赛席位。如果两支球队都输球，那么抛硬币将决定如果两支球队都没有上升，那么哪支球队将在乐透区排在另一支球队之前，尽管乒乓球将在他们之间平均分配。

然而，菲尼克斯队并不掌握其选秀权。休斯顿火箭队在去年休赛期的一笔交易中从布鲁克林篮网队获得了该选秀权，该交易使布鲁克林队重新获得了对其2025年和2026年选秀权的控制权。凭借一些适度的乐透运气，休斯顿队可能会在今年的选秀中获得比布鲁克林队更好的选秀权。

  1. 迈阿密热火

热火队正处于一个有趣的境地：就摆脱第10名而言，他们在排名方面没有什么可争夺的，这给了他们充分的理由输给华盛顿，并确保他们保持在第11位的乐透区位置。然而，华盛顿队也有动力锁定自己的选秀排名。

  1. 芝加哥公牛

  2. 亚特兰大老鹰

  3. 达拉斯独行侠

  4. 萨克拉门托国王

如果国王队的选秀权落在前12名之外，他们将欠老鹰队这个选秀权。但是，如果国王队击败太阳队并将自己锁定在附加赛排名的第九位，那么老鹰队和独行侠队的失利将意味着如果国王队没有从附加赛中晋级，萨克拉门托队的选秀顺位不会高于第13位。

国王队的失利将使他们能够保留自己的选秀权——要么直接保留（如果亚特兰大或达拉斯获胜），要么通过抛硬币保留（如果他们输球）。如果公牛队获胜，而老鹰队、独行侠队和国王队都输球，那么也可能出现四队平局。如果出现这种情况，萨克拉门托队将有多达三次机会通过抛硬币晋级并保留其选秀权。

  1. 奥兰多魔术
点击查看原文：NBA playoffs - Which postseason and lottery races will Sunday decide?

NBA playoffs - Which postseason and lottery races will Sunday decide?

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With 81 games in the books for every NBA team, there’s still plenty to play for heading into Sunday, the final day of regular-season action.

Even after 1,215 games have been played, there are still several positions in both the playoff and lottery standings that remain up for grabs as all 30 teams take the floor for their 82nd and final game of the season.

For some teams, it’ll mark the beginning of the offseason and the wait to see where the pingpong balls will land in the NBA draft lottery on May 12. For others, it’s just the beginning of what they hope will be a two-month-long odyssey through the playoffs that will end with one team raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

With all of that in mind, here’s what’s at stake as the regular season comes to a close, beginning in the wide-open West:

Jump to a section:\

West | East \

Draft lottery

Western Conference

Who’s locked in?

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder have long been locked into the top spot not just in the conference, but in the NBA, and they are guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. With a victory Sunday in New Orleans, they would become the seventh team in NBA history to win at least 68 games in a season.

2. Houston Rockets

Like OKC, the Rockets have been settled into the second spot for some time now, capping off one of the most impressive and surprising campaigns in the NBA by locking in home-court advantage across the opening two rounds. Houston will have a major part to play in how the rest of things shake out, however (more on this below).

3. Los Angeles Lakers

With Friday’s win over Houston, the Lakers are locked into the third seed. But the Lakers, like the Thunder and Rockets ahead of them, are waiting for the chaos to shake out in the bottom of the West bracket.

What’s left to be decided

In short: everything else!

4. Denver Nuggets

Denver controls its destiny. If the Nuggets beat the Rockets – who are locked into the No. 2 seed – a chaotic week for the franchise will end with securing home-court advantage in the first round.

5. LA Clippers

It’s a similar path for the Clippers, who won in Sacramento on Friday to put themselves on the verge of locking in a playoff spot. Unlike Denver, however, the Clippers have a much tougher test ahead: a game in San Francisco against the Warriors.

A win, coupled with a Denver loss, means the Clippers would be fourth. A win and a Denver win means the Clippers would face the Nuggets in the first round. A loss would likely push the Clippers into the play-in.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves would have been in position for home-court advantage had they not given up a 24-point second-half lead to the Bucks earlier this week. Still, if Minnesota can beat the Utah Jazz, they will guarantee a top-six spot in the West. (And, thanks to season sweeps over the Nuggets and Clippers, Minnesota could grab the fourth seed if both teams in front of them lose Sunday.)

Now, here’s where things get complicated, as the late slate of games will decide who stays out of the West play-in.

7. Golden State Warriors

The Warriors, like the Wolves, have their own game to kick themselves over heading into the final day, after Harrison Barnes hit a game-winning 3-pointer to beat his former team Wednesday night. Still, after beating Portland on Friday, Golden State enters Sunday needing a win to guarantee a top-six spot in the West.

If the Warriors and Wolves win, the Wolves would finish fifth, the Warriors sixth and the Clippers seventh, by virtue of head-to-head record between the three teams.

Golden State, thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker over Memphis, can’t finish lower than seventh, securing at least the chance to host the first play-in game.

8. Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies had a chance to create an even bigger standings mess by defeating the Nuggets on Friday night. That loss, however, means the Grizzlies – who host Dallas – need help to get out of the eighth spot.

Now Memphis cannot escape the play-in. But the Grizzlies can move into seventh if Minnesota loses to the cellar-dwelling Jazz. Memphis will either travel to Golden State or host Minnesota, as the Wolves would finish eighth in that potential three-way tie.

9. Sacramento Kings, 10. Dallas Mavericks

Let’s get to the (relatively) simple equation for the West’s final two postseason spots.

The Kings and Mavericks enter Sunday tied in the standings after the Kings lost to the LA Clippers and the Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

The Kings, however, control their destiny. By sweeping the Mavericks in the regular season, Sacramento needs a win over Phoenix – or a Dallas loss – to secure a home game for the 9-10 play-in matchup.

Eastern Conference

What’s locked in:

Everything! Remarkably, Friday’s results locked in all 10 spots in the East postseason:

**1. Cleveland Cavaliers\

  1. Boston Celtics\

  2. New York Knicks\

  3. Indiana Pacers\

  4. Milwaukee Bucks\

  5. Detroit Pistons\

  6. Orlando Magic\

  7. Atlanta Hawks\

  8. Chicago Bulls\

  9. Miami Heat**

Draft lottery standings

1/2. Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards

After the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards both lost Friday, they enter Sunday’s action tied for the league’s worst record at 17-64. If the two teams finish tied – Utah plays in Minnesota, while Washington plays in Miami – a coin flip will determine which team will slot in higher if neither moves up in the draft (the top three teams in the lottery all have the same odds, so that won’t change either way).

3. Charlotte Hornets

4. New Orleans Pelicans

5. Philadelphia 76ers

6. Brooklyn Nets

7. Toronto Raptors

8. San Antonio Spurs

The next six teams behind the Jazz and Wizards are all locked into position. The team impacted the most by that is Philadelphia, which locked itself officially into the fifth spot despite its loss to Atlanta on Friday. Philadelphia will now keep its top-six protected first-round pick unless multiple teams behind the 76ers jump them in next month’s draft lottery. If that happens, and the pick lands at No. 7 or lower, it will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Al Horford-Danny Green trade five years ago.

9/10. Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns

On the final day of the regular season, the Blazers are playing the Lakers, who are locked into the No. 3 seed, and the Suns are playing the Kings, who are fighting for playoff positioning. If both teams lose, a coin flip will determine which of them will pick ahead of the other in the lottery if neither moves up, though the pingpong balls will be evenly split between them.

Phoenix, however, doesn’t control its draft pick. The Houston Rockets acquired it from the Brooklyn Nets last offseason in a deal that gave Brooklyn back control of its 2025 and 2026 picks. Houston could wind up with a better pick than Brooklyn in this year’s draft with some moderate lottery luck.

11. Miami Heat

The Heat are in an interesting position: nothing to play for in the standings as far as moving out of 10th, giving them every reason to lose to Washington and ensure they stay in the 11th lottery spot. Washington, however, is also incentivized to lock in its own draft positioning.

12. Chicago Bulls

13. Atlanta Hawks

14. Dallas Mavericks

15. Sacramento Kings

The Kings owe the Hawks their pick if it lands outside the top 12. But if the Kings beat the Suns and lock themselves into the ninth spot in the play-in standings, losses by the Hawks and Mavericks would mean Sacramento will pick no higher than 13th if the Kings don’t advance out of the play-in.

A loss by the Kings would put them in position to keep their pick – either outright, if Atlanta or Dallas wins, or via coin flip if they lose. It also could become a four-way tie if the Bulls win and the Hawks, Mavericks and Kings all lose. That scenario would give Sacramento up to three chances to move up via coin flip and keep its pick.

16. Orlando Magic

By Tim Bontemps | ESPN, via ESPN