Here’s what needs to happen for a Lakers vs Warriors matchup in the first round of the playoffs
It’s a chaotic final day of the NBA regular season and a particularly crucial one for the Warriors, who can avoid the Play-In with a win over the Clippers.
A juicy matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA playoffs would be spectacular. And it’s a real possibility if the Warriors can avoid sinking to the Play-In.
How the Warriors can have a first-round Lakers matchup in the playoffs
The Lakers, for their part, are locked into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. For now, the Warriors (48-33) are sitting at No. 6, while the Los Angeles Clippers are at No. 5 and the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 7.
🏆 PLAYOFF PICTURE 🏆
— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2025
▪️ West 4-7 still up for grabs, separated by 1 game
▪️ East 1-10 set for postseason
The final day of the regular season is SUNDAY and the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google begin April 19! pic.twitter.com/JD1PyoZkKL
For the final game of the regular season, the Warriors face the Clippers for a chance to seal their spot at No. 6. They just need to win. If the lose, however, they will fall to the 7th seed and instead host a Play-In game.
Since the Clippers won their game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, the Warriors no longer have a chance to reach the No. 5 seed, and with the Grizzlies’ loss, they also can’t fall to No. 8. So the only two options for the Warriors are a Play-In, or a No. 6 seed.
If the Warriors are able to pull off a win over the Clippers, it will set up a series against the Lakers for the first round of the playoffs.
There is one other scenario that could see that happening as well. The Warriors could still lose against the Clippers and make the No. 6 seed, if the Timberwolves lose to the Utah Jazz.
Current Western Conference Standings:
- Thunder (locked in)
- Rockets (locked in)
- Lakers (locked in)
- Nuggets
- Clippers
- Warriors
- Timberwolves
- Grizzlies (locked in)
- Kings (locked in)
- Mavericks (locked in)
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