Author: NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

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Lakers vs. Thunder Predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and, best bets for April 8

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview 

The Los Angeles Lakers (48-30) and Oklahoma City Thunder (64-14) are all set to square off from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

They played against each other two nights ago, and the Lakers won 126-99. That loss to the Lakers was the second straight loss for the Thunder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 26 points, and Jalen Williams was the Thunder’s second highest scorer with 16.

This was the first time since mid-December where the Thunder were held to less than 100 points.

The Lakers are currently 18-20 on the road with a point differential of 1, while the Thunder have a 8-2 record in their last ten games at home. 

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch Lakers vs. Thunder live today

  • Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
  • Time: 8:00PM EST
  • Site: Paycom Center
  • City: Oklahoma City, OK

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Lakers vs. Thunder
The latest odds as of Tuesday:

  • Odds: Lakers (+653), Thunder (-1000)
  • Spread:  Thunder -14.5
  • Over/Under: 225 points

That gives the Lakers an implied team point total of 111.54, and the Thunder 119.09.
 
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday's Lakers vs. Thunder game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is leaning towards Shai Gilegous-Alexander over 31.5 points…

Thomas: “The Lakers made a massive statement in the last game against the Thunder. Not only beating them by 30 points, but by holding them to under 100 points. I expect a massive rebound from the Thunder tonight.

SGA will likely spearhead that rebound. He scored 26 points without a single trip to the free throw line. A lot of SGA’s domination comes from the charity stripe. If he wants his team to overcome this mini-skid, I expect him to give maximum effort.”

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Lakers & Thunder game:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Los Angeles Lakers at +14.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 225.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Lakers vs. Thunder on Tuesday

  • The Thunder have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against Western Conference Pacific Division teams
  • 5 of the Lakers' last 7 matchups with the Thunder have stayed under the Total
  • The Thunder are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite

The Thunder have won 17 of their last 20 games at home
 
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
 
Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. 
 
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: 
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) 
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) 
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

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Watch Zach LaVine put up 43, 17 in fourth quarter, as Kings pull away from Pistons for key win

NBA: Sacramento Kings at Detroit Pistons

Apr 7, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (8) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The postseason got closer to coming to Sacramento on Monday night.

Behind a clutch game from Zach LaVine — who scored 17 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter — the gritty Kings picked a road win on the second night of a back-to-back, pulling away from the Pistons in the fourth quarter to win 127-117.

"All this stuff with us starts with defense and we have to lock in defensively..." said a frustrated J.B. Bickerstaff (via Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press), who watched his Pistons get outscored 65-45 in the second half. "And 18 offensive rebounds is too many offensive rebounds. It's hard to get your transition game going when you're giving them second and third opportunities."

With the win, the Kings have a one-game lead over the Mavericks for the No. 9 seed in the West, meaning Sacramento would host Dallas in the first play-in game.

Detroit remains the No. 6 seed in the East with the loss, but now is 1.5 games behind Milwaukee (two in the loss column), making it far less likely the Pistons will climb up to the standings. Finishing sixth would mean facing the Knicks in the first round.

DeMar DeRozan had a big night and scored 37 points for the Kings, who trailed by as many as 18 in the first half (when DeRozan was really carrying them). Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double: 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Cade Cunningham had 35 to lead the Pistons.

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Nuggets fire coach Malone, GM Booth in shocking move

Nuggets fire coach Malone, GM Booth in shocking move originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Another Western Conference playoff contender is making a coaching change.

Just weeks after the Memphis Grizzlies moved on from Taylor Jenkins, the Denver Nuggets are firing Michael Malone.

ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news on Tuesday, and later added that general manager Calvin Booth has also been fired. Assistant coach David Adelman, who has worked for Malone since 2017, will serve as the interim head coach. The team later confirmed Charnaia’s reports in a press release.

Malone led the Nuggets to their only championship less than two years ago in 2025. He had been Denver’s head coach since 2015, compiling a 471-327 record with 44 playoff wins over that span.

Booth took over as Nuggets general manager in 2022 when Tim Connelly left for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite winning the title in his first season at the helm, many of the roster moves that set up the victory were made by Connelly.

This season has started to unravel for the Nuggets in recent weeks, with the team going 3-7 in their last 10 games. Denver has lost four straight games to fall to 47-32, good for fourth in the West — but tied with the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seeds in the loss column.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has never played for another coach since being drafted, his rookie season was Malone’s first in Denver.

The Nuggets have three games left in the regular season — Wednesday at the Sacramento Kings, Friday against the Grizzlies and Sunday at the Houston Rockets.

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Nuggets fire head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth in stunning move

Nuggets fire head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth in stunning move originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Another Western Conference playoff contender is making a coaching change.

Just weeks after the Memphis Grizzlies moved on from Taylor Jenkins, the Denver Nuggets are firing Michael Malone.

ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news on Tuesday, and later added that general manager Calvin Booth has also been fired. Assistant coach David Adelman, who has worked for Malone since 2017, will serve as the interim head coach. The team later confirmed Charnaia’s reports in a press release.

Malone led the Nuggets to their only championship less than two years ago in 2025. He had been Denver’s head coach since 2015, compiling a 471-327 record with 44 playoff wins over that span.

Booth took over as Nuggets general manager in 2022 when Tim Connelly left for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite winning the title in his first season at the helm, many of the roster moves that set up the victory were made by Connelly.

This season has started to unravel for the Nuggets in recent weeks, with the team going 3-7 in their last 10 games. Denver has lost four straight games to fall to 47-32, good for fourth in the West — but tied with the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seeds in the loss column.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has never played for another coach since being drafted, his rookie season was Malone’s first in Denver.

The Nuggets have three games left in the regular season — Wednesday at the Sacramento Kings, Friday against the Grizzlies and Sunday at the Houston Rockets.

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Kings beat Pistons to boost post-season hopes

Zach LaVine celebrates a basket
Zach LaVine scored eight three-pointers [Getty Images]

The Sacramento Kings boosted their NBA post-season hopes with a 127-117 win at the Detroit Pistons.

Zach LaVine scored 43 points and DeMar DeRozan 37 for the Kings, who came from 18 points down to secure a third successive victory.

They remain ninth in the Western Conference, one win ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.

Teams finishing from seventh to 10th qualify for the play-in tournament, which runs from 15-18 April.

The only side who can deny the Kings are the 11th-placed Phoenix Suns, who have three fewer wins with four regular-season games remaining.

The Miami Heat, assured of a play-in place in the East, won 117-105 at home against the already eliminated Philadelphia 76ers, who suffered a 12th successive defeat.

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3 observations after Sixers' losing streak grows to a dozen in Miami

3 observations after Sixers' losing streak grows to a dozen in Miami  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers finished winless for the full duration of March Madness.

Their losing streak grew to a dozen games Monday night in Miami with a 117-105 defeat to the Heat. 

Lonnie Walker IV and Quentin Grimes scored 29 points apiece for the 23-56 Sixers.

Duncan Robinson was the Heat’s leading scorer with 21 points off the bench on 7-for-8 shooting. Tyler Herro added 20 points and rookie center Kel’el Ware had a 19-point, 17-rebound double-double. 

The Sixers’ many sidelined players included Justin Edwards (rib contusion) and Guerschon Yabusele (personal reasons). Miami’s injury list included Bam Adebayo, who sat because of back spasms. 

The Sixers will face the Wizards on Wednesday night in their final road game of the season. Here are observations on their loss to the Heat:

Bagley joins the starters

Marcus Bagley made his first career start and the Sixers extended their record-setting number of starting units this season.

The team’s 53rd lineup was Jared Butler, Grimes, Walker, Bagley and Adem Bona.  

Bagley gave the Sixers a 4-0 lead when he nabbed a steal and turned it into a fast-break layup. The Sixers capitalized on Miami’s early sloppiness and forced the game’s first five turnovers. 

Bagley had another nice play on the Sixers’ final possession of the first quarter when he slipped behind the Heat’s zone defense and slammed in a Grimes lob. He’s had some good moments as a cutter and offensive rebounder his last few outings.

Seven games in, Bagley has yet to break the three-point ice. He went 0 for 2 from long range in Miami, which puts him at 0 for 15 overall in the NBA. He posted six points, six rebounds, a block and a steal in his 23 minutes.

More early shooting woes

As a team, the Sixers’ shooting start was again very poor. They missed 16 of their first 18 three-point attempts. 

Outside shooting is one of the areas where the Sixers have ranked among the league’s worst this season. Entering Monday, they were 26th in the NBA at 34.3 percent from long distance.

Walker was literally the only Sixer knocking down threes in the first half.

He was 3 for 7 beyond the arc and his teammates were 0 for 12. After an 18-point game Saturday night in the Sixers’ loss to the Timberwolves, Walker remained aggressive, decisive and low-turnover. His confidence certainly grew as he kept seeing shots drop.

Though the Sixers used a 10-man rotation, Walker, Bona and Grimes all logged at least 18 minutes in the first half. Long-range shooting isn’t part of Bona’s game, but he showed plenty of other strengths in a bright, bouncy start.

Bona tallied 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 11 rebounds and three blocks. The rookie’s first block was an impressive, well-timed rejection of a Herro driving layup attempt. Over his last 12 games, Bona’s swatted 31 shots.

Closing in on top-5 lottery odds

Miami led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter and held an eight-point halftime edge. 

A third-quarter Grimes scoring flurry erased the Sixers’ deficit completely. He drained four triples in the third period and the Sixers took the lead with an 11-0 run.

Grimes eventually cooled off a bit and the Sixers couldn’t secure the necessary stops in the fourth quarter. Davion Mitchell’s step-back jumper over Bona stretched the Heat’s lead to 13 points. Grimes missed three consecutive free throws with 2:04 left.

On paper, Wednesday’s matchup with the 17-61 Wizards looks to be a winnable game for the Sixers. Whatever the result, they’re now nearly locked into top-five NBA draft lottery odds:

  • Fourth-best odds: Pelicans (21-57)
  • Fifth-best odds: Sixers (23-56)
  • Sixth-best odds: Nets (25-53) 
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‘Celtics City' beyond the episode: The Len Bias tragedy

‘Celtics City' beyond the episode: The Len Bias tragedy originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics expierienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in June of 1986.

Just over a week after defeating the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals to secure Banner 16, the C’s selected highly-touted Maryland forward Len Bias with the second overall pick in the draft. Two days later, Bias died from cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose.

The tragedy was the subject of Episode 6 of Max’s Celtics City docuseries, titled “Untenable Toll.” Longtime NBA reporter Jackie MacMullan covered Bias’ death and shared her reaction to the emotional recall of Bias’ passing.

“It was the worst story I’ve ever covered, bar none,” MacMullan said on NBC Sports Boston’s Keys to the City show recapping Episode 6, as seen in the video player above. “It was the worst story, because by all accounts he was a great kid, a gregarious kid. And by the way, that can be true and you can still do cocaine. They’re not mutually exclusive. That was just a tragedy of epic proportions for that family.”

Bias’ death marked the begininng of a dark era in the franchise’s history. The Celtics battled and beat the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons in a heated 1987 playoff series before ultimately falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. After dominating the decade, they wouldn’t win another title until 2008.

“After Len Bias died, nothing went right. Nothing,” MacMullan added. “(Bill) Walton trips on (Robert) Parish’s foot, he never plays again. (Kevin) McHale breaks his foot, (Larry) Bird starts having back problems. That day set off an unprecedented period of time, including the death of Reggie Lewis. It was like that one thing cast a pall over that franchise that was not lifted for the longest time.”

More Celtics City ‘Beyond the Episode’

Check out our footage of moments from “Celtics City” Episode 6 below:

Celtics legend Robert Parish had enough of one of the biggest villains from the 1980s Pistons, Bill Laimbeer. After Laimbeer used his elbows a little too aggressively when going up for a rebound, “The Chief” clobbered him:

After missing the final seven games of the regular season and being questionable for Game 1 of the first round vs. the Indiana Pacers in 1991, Larry Bird put on a show for the Celtics faithful. Bird finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and 3 steals in 41 minutes while besting Pacers rival Chuck Person:

Watch the full “Keys to the City” episode below:

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Led by LaVine, Kings recover from ‘low point' to beat Pistons

Led by LaVine, Kings recover from ‘low point' to beat Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings’ final road trip of the 2024-25 NBA regular season was a roller coaster, to say the least.

After three consecutive losses — capped off by a troubling defeat to the 17-win Washington Wizards on April 2 — Sacramento bounced back with a trio of wins to salvage the six-game jaunt.

Monday’s victory perhaps was indicative of the trip as a whole, as the Kings recovered from an 18-point first-half deficit to claim a 127-117 win over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.

Guard Zach LaVine led the way with 43 points, including 16 straight for Sacramento branching the third and fourth quarters. The midseason addition had it going from outside, shooting 8 for 11 from 3-point range.

“When he gets the heater going, it’s a different type of heater,” coach Doug Christie said postgame of LaVine. “You just want him to touch the ball every time.”

LaVine’s huge night came just 24 hours after another big performance, dropping 37 points with seven triples in the Kings’ 120-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

The two-time All-Star became the first player in franchise history to have consecutive games with 35-plus points and five-plus 3-pointers, per NBA Stats.

Forward DeMar DeRozan, who went on a 37-point heater of his own Monday, didn’t appear shocked by LaVine’s red-hot shooting.

After all, the two teammates previously shared the floor with the Chicago Bulls from 2021 to 2024 before a February reunion in Sacramento at the NBA trade deadline. So, DeRozan knows about LaVine’s ability to catch fire as well as anyone.

“I just told [LaVine] to keep going. I was supposed to come in for him at the start of the fourth. I told Coach to just leave him in,” DeRozan told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live.” “He was hot. He led us. Without him getting hot, we wouldn’t have gotten this win.

“It’s nothing new for me. I’ve seen it.”

While the Kings’ rough start to the trip certainly wasn’t ideal, Christie believes it helped inspire the combined 80-point night from his top scoring tandem.

“The basketball universe — it’s an interesting thing,” Christie delineated to reporters. “But I tell them, sometimes you get what you need and not what you want.

“We want to play well all the time. But obviously, in that moment, there were many things with us that needed to be discussed and needed to be — that’s a part of our game that needs to evolve as well. And I think it took a low point like that to make us address it.”

DeRozan offered a similar observation on the impact of last week’s Wizards loss.

“Every individual had to look themselves in the mirror, first and foremost, and understand that’s not the complete level we got to bring every single night if we want to be a playoff team,” DeRozan explained. “Ever since then, everybody’s been stepping up.”

The Kings’ leaders have stepped up the most; forward Domantas Sabonis added a triple-double Monday to help Sacramento battle back from their early adversity — just as the team has responded to that “low point” in Washington, D.C.

Now, with some clear momentum heading back home, the Kings hope to carry it through the end of the regular season. Currently the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, Sacramento will clinch a spot in the NBA play-in tournament if the Golden State Warriors defeat the Kevin Durant-less Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

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Portland signs general manager Joe Cronin to extension

Portland has a promising young roster, including Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan. The Trail Blazers have looked like a team coming together of late, going 7-6 in their last 13 with a top-10 defense since the All-Star break, laying a foundation for a leap forward next season.

The man who assembled that roster, general manager Joe Cronin, was rewarded with a contract extension, Portland announced Monday.

"Joe has demonstrated leadership and vision during his time as general manager, and I'm excited to see him continue building the foundation for a long-term, winning team," said Jody Allen, chair of the Portland Trail Blazers. "We are all thrilled with the team's forward momentum and excited for the future of Trail Blazers basketball."

"My vision is to have a competitive roster with the potential for sustained success, while creating a culture that helps all our players, coaches and staff thrive," Cronin said in a statement.

While details of general manager contracts are not public, Cronin's contract extension takes him through the summer of 2028, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Cronin has reshaped the Portland roster since trading Damian Lillard to Milwaukee, bringing in young players and developing them under coach Chauncey Billups, a core that has started to show its potential in recent months. Portland will head into this year's lottery with the ninth-best odds at the No. 1 pick (and a 76% chance they will end up with the No. 9 or 10 pick).

Billups becomes the next big decision point in Portland. Just a few months ago the expectation was that Portland and Billups would mutually agree to part ways when the season ended. However, with Portland's stark improvement in recent months, the tone of the conversation has changed, something Marc Stein reported. Billups' contract has a team option for next season, he's going to want an extension, not for the team to just pick up the option and find himself in another lame duck year. Does Cronin want to tie himself to Billups for multiple years, or does he want to bring in someone new? If Portland just wants to pick up the extension for a year, does Billups think the grass is greener elsewhere (like Phoenix — Suns owner Mat Ishbia loves his Detroit/Michigan guys)? It's a decision point both sides need to agree upon that will help shape the franchise's future.

Whoever ends up as the coach, we know Cronin will be the GM.

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Durant ruled out for Warriors-Suns game as ankle injury lingers

Durant ruled out for Warriors-Suns game as ankle injury lingers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors won’t have to worry about Kevin Durant when they play Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night at PHX Arena.

The star Suns forward has been ruled out for the Western Conference matchup due to his left ankle sprain, a nagging injury that has caused him to miss Phoenix’s last three games.

Durant sustained the injury during the Suns’ March 30 loss to the Rockets, when he stepped on Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot as he was driving to the basket midway through the third quarter. The injury originally was expected to keep Durant out at least one week.

The 36-year-old is averaging 26.6 points on 52.7-percent shooting with 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Suns this season.

Durant won’t be on the floor to face his former team, but the Warriors will be at full strength, with everyone available for the game per the latest NBA injury report.

Golden State is looking to bounce-back from a 106-96 loss to the Rockets on Sunday at Chase Center, which dropped them from No. 5 in the West to No. 6. The Suns, meanwhile, sit 2 1/2 games back of the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 10 seed and final NBA play-in tournament spot.

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2025 NBA playoff picture: Bracket, standings, projections, scenarios heading into final week of season

There is just one week left in the NBA season and very little is settled.

The top couple of seeds in each conference are set — Oklahoma City and Houston in the West, Cleveland and Boston in the East — and after that things open up quickly. Here's everything you need to know about the NBA Playoffs heading into the final week of the season.

NBA standings

NBA playoff picture

If the season ended today (April 7).

East Play-In matchups

8. Hawks at 7. Magic
10 Heat at 9. Bulls

East first-round matchups

1. Cavaliers vs. 8. Magic/Hawks/Heat/Bulls
2. Celtics vs. 7. Magic/Hawks
3. Knicks vs. 6. Pistons
4. Pacers vs. 5. Bucks

West Play-In matchups

8. Grizzlies vs. 7. Timberwolves
10. Mavericks vs. 9. Kings

West first-round matchups

1. Thunder vs. 8. Grizzlies/Timberwolves/Mavericks/Kings
2. Rockets vs. 7. Grizzlies/Timberwolves
3. Lakers vs. 6. Warriors
4. Nuggets vs. 5. Clippers

Playoff projections

Let's break it down by conference, taking a closer look at each race (the listed games back in each race are from the leader of that grouping, not the top-seeded team).

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Houston Rockets

Oklahoma City has been clear and away the best team in the West during the regular season and has long ago locked up the No. 1 seed. Houston is 13.5 games back of OKC, and had a little slump that made things interesting recently, but the Rockets' magic number to lock up the No. 2 seed is one (one Rockets win or Lakers loss this week). One thing to watch: Other teams don't fear the Rockets in the playoffs the way they fear the Thunder (or even the Warriors/Lakers/Nuggets), so don't be surprised if teams try to jockey into the 3 or 6 seeds to get on Houston's side of the bracket.

3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Denver Nuggets (-1.5)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (-2)
6. Golden State Warriors (-2)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (-2)
8. Memphis Grizzlies (-2)

The NBA wants drama in the final week of the season, and the West is delivering.

The Lakers are in control of the No. 3 seed: Two wins in their final four games guarantees them the No. 3 seed, and just one win guarantees a top-six finish. After that, the other five teams all have 32 losses — it is one big tie that could go in any direction. A couple of key games to watch this week in this group:

• Lakers at Thunder (Tuesday). The Lakers won the first game of this two-game set on Sunday.
• Rockets at Clippers (Wednesday). The Clippers' elite defense against the young legs of the Rockets will be entertaining.
• Timberwolves at Grizzlies (Thursday). Ja Morant vs. Anthony Edwards will be a show.
• Rockets at Lakers (Friday). Houston will have things locked up as the two seed, but is not going to take it easy against the Lakers.

9. Sacramento Kings
10. Dallas Mavericks (-0.5)
11. Phoenix Suns (-3)

Phoenix enters the week mathematically alive, if it can win its final four games this week it has a chance to catch Dallas (two losses, however, and the Suns are eliminated). In reality, the Suns let go of the rope and have games against the Warriors and Thunder this week. The Suns are toast.

Sacramento has one game lead in the loss column but has a slightly tougher schedule this week with the Nuggets, Clippers and Pistons coming up. The race to host the first round of the Play-In Tournament could come down to the final days.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Boston Celtics

No drama at the top of the East standings, the Cavaliers have locked up the No. 1 seed (technically their magic number for the top seed is one, but that's happening) and Boston is locked in at No. 2.

3. New York Knicks
4. Indiana Pacers

While not mathematically locked in yet, these teams will finish in this order. New York's magic number to clinch the No. 3 seed is one (just one win or Pacers loss). Indiana controls its own destiny to host a first-round series, its magic number for the No. 4 seed is two (with two games against the Cavaliers, one against Orlando and one against Washington this week).

5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Detroit Pistons (-1)

The Bucks have a one-game cushion over the Pistons, but these two teams play each other in the final two games of the season (Friday and Sunday). That will determine their seeding, and who is headed to New York and who is headed to Indiana to start the playoffs.

7. Orlando Magic
8. Atlanta Hawks (-1)
9. Chicago Bulls (-2)
10. Miami Heat (-3)

The four teams in the East play-in are locked in, but their order is not — these four could finish in almost any order (well, Miami can't get up to No. 7, but aside from that, any order). That said, the smart money is on this group finishing in this order, with the Magic and Hawks in the 7/8 Play-In Tournament Game.

The big game to watch in this group is Tuesday night, when Atlanta travels to Orlando — the winner of that game is in the driver's seat for the No. 7 seed.

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Fantasy Basketball End of Season Roundtable: Biggest fantasy surprise

While some fantasy managers are competing in leagues that run through the end of the NBA's regular season, most were done by the end of Sunday's games. Congratulations to those who won their leagues and the money (and bragging rights) that comes with it. Those who did not will reflect on what went wrong and how they can avoid a similar fate next season.

With the fantasy season effectively over, now is a good time for the Rotoworld fantasy basketball staff to have a few roundtable discussions. Monday's question is simple: Who was your biggest surprise in fantasy basketball? Nick Schlain, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson and Zak Hanshew answered this question, and each writer had a different choice.

Who was the biggest surprise in fantasy basketball this season?

Nick Shlain: Dyson Daniels had a preseason ADP of 136 on Yahoo! but is the fifth-ranked player in total game value on Basketball Monster this season. In his first season as a full-time starter, Daniels has seen his numbers increase across the board. No stat has been as crucial to Daniels’ fantasy success than steals, the category where he leads the league with three steals per game. Daniels has vastly outperformed expectations in his first season with the Hawks after coming to Atlanta last offseason in the Dejounte Murray trade.

Noah Rubin: I have long been a pessimist regarding Austin Reaves’s productivity in fantasy basketball. I have had the opinion that he is a really, really good player, but that doesn’t always translate to fantasy production, especially in category leagues. On a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, why would Reaves have the ball in his hands enough to return top-tier value? Trading for Luka Doncic certainly didn’t make me more optimistic, and yet, Reaves has been better while playing alongside a ball-dominant superstar. Over the past two months, he has returned third-round value this season and ranks in the top ten in nine-cat formats. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers and has solidified himself as an All-Star talent. He shattered his Yahoo! ADP of 87.8 and has been a league-winning producer recently.

Raphielle Johnson: Many people laughed when Norman Powell discussed the loss to Paul George as “addition by subtraction” for the Clippers. PG's exit meant more opportunities for Powell and Ivica Zubac, and both got off to hot starts. However, while Powell's production tailed off due to injury, "Big Zu" has been consistently excellent for the Clippers. Ranked just outside the top-50 in eight-cat formats, Zubac heads into the season's final week safely within that threshold in nine-cat. He's averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists while shooting 62.4 percent from the field. While expecting Zubac to be a top-100 player was well within reason, he's been even better than that.

Zak Hanshew: Maybe I should have seen a resurgence coming, but hindsight is 20/20, right? After years of finishing as a perennial top-10 fantasy option, Karl-Anthony Towns's value took a big hit over the last two seasons. The fit alongside Rudy Gobert wasn't ideal for Towns from a fantasy standpoint, but his move back to playing a pure center role in New York has done wonders for him. He's averaging a career-high 12.8 rebounds with 24.4 points, 3.1 dimes, two triples and a steal. Towns is shooting a career-best 42.6% mark from beyond the arc, and he's cut his turnovers to his lowest mark in seven seasons. Towns's revival is surprising based on the raw numbers alone, but the fact that he's leading his team in rebounds and sits second in scoring while playing on such a loaded roster is the most shocking aspect of his meteoric 2024-25 rise.

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Tatum ‘wanted more' early in NBA career, now credits Celtics' approach

Tatum ‘wanted more' early in NBA career, now credits Celtics' approach originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jayson Tatum’s talent was evident as a 19-year-old rookie, but it wasn’t until his third season with the Boston Celtics that he was able to fully unleash his superstar potential.

The third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft averaged 30.5 minutes but only 10.5 field goal attempts per game as a rookie. Those numbers increased to 31.1 minutes and 13.1 field goal attempts in Year 2, then in Year 3, Tatum’s professional career took off.

Tatum earned his first All-Star nod in his third season, averaging 34.3 minutes and 18.6 shot attempts per game. Since then, he has been selected to the All-Star Game each year. The 27-year-old has evolved into the face of the franchise, and now, with an NBA championship under his belt, he’s on track to go down as one of the greatest Celtics to ever step on the TD Garden parquet.

In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Brian Scalabrine, Tatum opened up about his growth from quiet-but-confident rookie to NBA superstar. While admitting that he wanted the ball more early in his career, he acknowledged that former Celtics coach Brad Stevens may have been right to bring him along slowly.

“My career has went as well as I could have ever thought or imagined,” Tatum told Scalabrine. “Yes, when I was younger, I was a 19-year-old rookie, and I felt like I could have been doing more. Brad (Stevens), like, ‘Yo, put me in better positions, give me the ball more.’ Like, as a young player, I had that confidence in myself that I wanted more. And again, I’ve started every game of my career, I’ve played 30 minutes, I’ve been on the floor. And maybe Brad was bringing me along at the right speed, and he knew more than I did.

“So when I was younger, yeah, I wanted more. Where I’m at now, I love how everything has played out and I love where I’m at and I love the things that I’ve accomplished. And we won. We got one. So I’m not content because we want to win some more, but I think it worked out how it was supposed to.”

Tatum took a backseat to superstar Kyrie Irving for the first two years of his C’s tenure. Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris, and a young Al Horford also had important roles, preventing Tatum from fully taking over.

But over the last half-decade, Tatum and Brown have established themselves as arguably the best duo in the NBA. The tandem propelled the Celtics to one of the best seasons in franchise history en route to the 2024 NBA championship, and they’re well on their way to making another run in 2025.

The Celtics, boasting a 58-20 record with four regular-season games remaining, will visit the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Barring a shocking finish to the campaign that would require the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers to lose their remaining four games, Boston will enter the 2025 postseason with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Watch Scalabrine’s full interview with Tatum below:

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Rockets analyst makes wild Draymond Green claim after antics vs. Alperen Şengün

Rockets analyst makes wild Draymond Green claim after antics vs. Alperen Şengün originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

To most NBA analysts and pundits, Warriors forward Draymond Green is one of the league’s best defenders — if not the best — and can shut down any top player.

But after Green got into it with All-Star center Alperen Şengün during the Warriors’ 106-96 loss on Sunday night at Chase Center, former NBA player and current Houston Rockets color analyst Ryan Hollins had some pointed words for the Golden State forward.

“That’s ridiculous,” Hollins said on the Rockets’ Space City Home Network broadcast as Green was assessed a technical foul for shoving Sengun before Houston could inbound the ball (h/t Awful Announcing). “Look at him. The ball’s not in bounds. He’s just trying to get in Şengün’s head. He knows he can’t guard him to save his life.”

Şengün believes Green’s technical foul was the turning point in the game.

“I think that was the moment we won the game because everybody got heated up and we responded well,” Şengün told reporters. “I think they were trying to scare us to play softer. But you just play harder after that and just help my team.”

Green later picked up a Flagrant 1 foul for elbowing Şengün in the face while going up for a layup.

Green is making a strong push for a second-career NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, but Hollins clearly believes second-year Rockets wing Amen Thompson should take home the honor.

To Thompson’s credit, he shut down Steph Curry and held the two-time NBA MVP to three points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field. Curry was 0 of 3 from the field when guarded by Thompson, per NBA.com’s advanced metrics.

But according to those same advanced metrics, Şengün made 3 of 8 shots and scored seven of his 19 total points when defended by Green during Sunday’s game.

So, Hollins’ theory that Green can’t guard Şengün might have played well to Rockets fans watching the game, but the numbers show that the Warriors forward can hold his own.

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