Now that the NBA trade deadline and All-Star break have come and gone, we’re about to see some teams reuniting with former key players. On Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks will visit the Washington Wizards, who now have Khris Middleton. Middleton had been with the Bucks since 2013-14, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rookie campaign, and the trade ended an era for Middleton in the Cream City. The Bucks did get Kyle Kuzma in the deal, but expect Middleton to have all kinds of motivation. The Dallas Mavericks will play in Los Angeles early next week, bringing LeBron back together with AD and Luka Doncic back together with his former team less than a month after that blockbuster trade. Davis (adductor) could still be on the shelf, but in his debut, he had 26 points, 16 boards, 7 assists and 3 blocks before going down in the third quarter. It will also be interesting to see how Max Christie looks for Dallas guarding Doncic.
As we head into the second half of the NBA regular season, here are some insights to consider about the postseason as you start to plan your sports betting strategy on who will make it into the NBA Playoffs.
Make It into the NBA Playoffs: Get Your Picks for this 2025 PostSeason
Who are the top contenders for the NBA title?
Western Conference
The Oklahoma City Thunder (44-10) still stand tallest among all of the title contenders. Yes, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat them by double figures going into the break, but they still have the same record as the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Thunder beat the Cavs by 20 the last time they squared off. The Thunder still have a sizable lead over the rest of the league in NET rating as well.
The Memphis Grizzlies (36-18) are tied for sixth in three-point shooting percentage, and they have a solid supporting cast around Jaren Jackson Jr and Ja Morant. When both of those stars are in the game, the Grizzlies are +13.6 points per 100 possessions. They did lose their last game going into the break, but Morant missed that contest. Does he have what it takes to lead a long playoff run?
The Denver Nuggets (36-19) have an eight-game winning streak coming out of the All-Star break. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are both locked in at the same time for the first time since the Nuggets won their title in 2023. Jokic is putting up 30.1 points, 11.1 assists and 10.9 boards per game in this winning streak despite only having to play 34.0 minutes per game. Murray had a career-best 55 points in Wednesday’s victory and is averaging 26.1 points and 6.9 assists while shooting 38.1% from distance in this winning streak. With both Murray and Jokic on the floor, the Nuggets are +12.3 points per 100 possessions on the season.
^Eastern Conference
The Cleveland Cavaliers (44-10) are also on pace to win 67 games, but they’re not getting nearly as much press as the Thunder are. According to the SRS (simple rating system, which measures point differential and strength of schedule), they rank 13th all time. Media attention doesn’t matter, though, once the playoffs begin. The Cavs went and got De’Andre Hunter at the trade deadline, and all of a sudden Cleveland just might have the best group of five or six players in the whole league.
The Boston Celtics (39-16) basically have the entire core of their championship team from a year ago. They entered the All-Star break having just won 15 of their last 25, but they had a 3-0 week, routing the Knicks by 27 and the Heat by 18 on the road, and then coming home to beat San Antonio by 13. Are they turning things up to find a new gear? The rest of the East better hope not.
The New York Knicks (36-18) have won nine of their last 11, and one of those losses came against Boston. Karl-Anthony Towns had two straight 40-10 nights to close out the week, and now he’s averaging 24.7 points, 13.4 boards and 2.1 threes made per game while shooting 43.8% from behind the arc. Jalen Brunson is contributing 26.1 points, 7.5 assists and 2.3 threes per game, shooting 39.7% from downtown. Josh Hart is fifth in the NBA in triple-doubles this season, averaging 14.7 points, 9.6 boards and 5.7 helpers per game. Once OG Anunoby returns healthy, he and Mikal Bridges should be able to bracket those three scorers and give the Knicks a deep playoff run.
^Which teams are likely to make the playoffs?
How are the playoff races shaping up in each conference?
In the Western Conference, we like these teams to finish in the top six and clinch playoff spots: Oklahoma City, Denver, Memphis, Houston, the Lakers, and Minnesota. We like the Clippers, Dallas, Golden State and Sacramento to get into the play-in tournament.
In the Eastern Conference, we like these teams in the top six: Cleveland, Boston, New York, Indiana, Milwaukee, and Detroit. For the play-in, we like Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, and Chicago.
^Which “dark horse” teams could surprise everyone and make a run?
Western Conference
The Clippers (31-23) did get Bogdan Bogdanovic and Ben Simmons at the trade deadline. Right now, the Clippers have the ninth-worst bench scoring average (33.3 points per game). Even though they have James Harden, still an elite point guard who ranks fifth in assists per game (8.6), as a team, the Clippers only generate 24.7 assists per game, which ranks 25th overall. Bringing in Simmons – an elite ball distributor – and Bogdanovic should add more ball movement in the halfcourt offense and should also bring more options to the fast break. Kawhi Leonard is showing up at just the right time, and Norman Powell and Harden are combining for about 45 points per game. With Ivica Zubac patrolling the paint as an underrated center and Nicolas Batum lurking as one of those savvy veterans who can explode in the playoffs, this is a team that could sneak up on the West and make a deep run. Then again, we’ve never seen James Harden live up to his full potential in any postseason.
Sacramento (28-27) dealt point guard De’Aaron Fox away at the trade deadline to the Spurs. In the short-term they had shooting guard Malik Monk running the point, but that took away from his ability to spot up and shoot and showed his weaknesses at handling the ball. The Kings solved the problem by signing free agent point guard Markelle Fultz on Wednesday. Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, he developed into a solid point guard for Orlando, averaging 12.7 points and 5.4 assists per game while with the Magic. With center Domantas Sabonis and Monk, Fultz makes an interesting third contributor to help the Kings break through defenses in the playoffs.
Minnesota (31-25) are 9-4 over their last 13 games. Two of those losses came against Cleveland and Milwaukee, and the Timberwolves are still missing Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley. Anthony Edwards has been running the offense basically by himself, and the Timberwolves have gained ground in the West. When Edwards, Conley and Gobert are on the floor together, Minnesota is +6.2 per 100 possessions. “Ant-Man” has the clutch shooting to pick up some huge wins in the playoffs. They got to the West finals last year. Could they go that far, or even farther, this time around?
^Eastern Conference
Philadelphia (20-34) started the season 3-14. They’ve only gone 17-20 since then, so it’s not like they’ve figured out all of their problems. They added Paul George in the off-season, and they brought Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey back, thinking the addition of George would make them a contender, even though bringing his scoring prowess in hasn’t helped anyone win a title yet. Injuries have taken a toll. However, the 76ers are in 11th in the East and just need a slight improvement to get into the play-in tournament. If you think that this trio of stars can finally catch fire, then you might like the 76ers to pull some surprises and take the 8-seed…and maybe push Cleveland. The fact that Embiid has already said he will likely need off-season knee surgery suggests that the team may not have the energy to make this last push, though.
Miami (25-28) has dropped four in a row and 11 of 16. They have cleared the decks of the Jimmy Butler drama, but they still haven’t figured out how to get Bam Adebayo back on track. He’s having his worst season in his last six. Both Adebayo and Tyler Herro have to play elite ball for the Heat to put fear in anyone. Herro’s been holding up his end – he just dropped 40 on Dallas, but the Mavericks won anyway – but Adebayo needs to start showing up for this to work.
Atlanta (26-29) is looking a little more like a dark horse than the 76ers or the Heat. They won three in a row after the trade deadline before falling in overtime, 149-148, to the Knicks going into the break. The Hawks added Caris LeVert, Terance Mann, and Georges Niang. LeVert is putting up 15.7 points and 3.0 assists per game since coming to the Hawks, and Niang is putting up 15.0 points per game while knocking down 45.0% of his shots from distance. Mann adds more defensive presence than Bogdanovic, and the Hawks still have Trae Young, who had 38 points and 19 assists in that loss to the Knickss. The Hawks have scared teams and even eliminated higher seeds in postseasons past – a trend that could continue with these additions.
Detroit (29-26) have already won three more games than their preseason over/under win total, and they still have 27 games left. Cade Cunningham is an All-Star for the first time, and if he keeps playing like he has recently – the Pistons have won six of eight – he could end up being All-NBA. On Wednesday, the Pistons beat the Bulls behind 29 points and seven assists from Cunningham. His averages in those stats are now 25.4 and 9.4, respectively. Especially in the East, all you need sometimes to pull off a massive upset is having a low seed driven by their star player who motivates his supporting cast to punch above their weight as well.
Indiana (30-23) went 12-2 between January 2 and February 3. Since then, they’ve gone just 2-3, and one of those wins needed overtime against the bottom-feeding Washington Wizards. Tyrese Haliburton has fallen into a bit of a slump; over these last five games, he is averaging just 13.8 points and 7.6 assists, shooting 38.7% from downtown. In that 12-2 stretch, those numbers were 19.8 points, 8.5 assists and 43.2% three-point shooting percentage. The Pacers are sitting in fourth in the East, but getting past the second round would likely mean knocking off one of the three teams in front of them. Do they have what it takes to make that jump? With Pascal Siakam and Haliburton playing at their best, it’s possible. If they’re not, then it will be a quick out for the Pacers.
My Predictions of February for the 2025 NBA Playoffs
— Marvens (@MarvensSs) February 6, 2025
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NBA Playoffs
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