Browsing: predictions

The WWE Universe may be focused on the build to Survivor Series, but some wrestling fans have already shifted their attention to WrestleMania 42, which is scheduled to take place next year at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

WrestleMania is WWE’s biggest show of the year, bringing the best in the industry together for the marquee Premium Live Event. As a result, wrestling fans should expect to see some of the biggest possible matchups to fill out the card.

Here are the way-too-early predictions for the top matches at WrestleMania 42.

Bron Breakker Defends World Title vs. Roman Reigns

With Seth Rollins’ shoulder injury, the World Heavyweight Championship needs to find a worthy home, and few Superstars deserve the honor more right now than Bron Breakker. If he does win the belt in the coming weeks, he’ll need a marquee matchup at WrestleMania 42.

Look no further for an opponent than Roman Reigns.

Reigns is the ideal opponent for Breakker, as he has been the most dominant force in WWE for nearly a decade. If the former champion’s run as a full-time performer is over, he should pass the torch by putting over the future megastar.

In addition to the built-in storyline of both performers being second-generation performers, Breakker beating Reigns at WrestleMania for the world title would instantly cement him as the new face of WWE.

Stephanie Vaquer Stands Tall Against Becky Lynch

Since signing with WWE, Stephanie Vaquer has been booked as one of the biggest stars in the company. Now, as the women’s world champion, WWE Creative should book Vaquer to defend her title against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42.

While Vaquer is regarded as a talented technical wrestler with experience in CMLL, NJPW, and AEW, she would meet her match with Lynch, who boasts an impressive in-ring resume of her own and has grown to become an international Superstar for WWE.

In the ring, wrestling fans will witness a match of contrasting styles that could steal the show, with Lynch’s gritty, brawling style potentially blending well with Vaquer’s precision, submissions, and Lucha-infused technical expertise.

As great as Lynch has been for WWE, holding every women’s title and main-eventing WrestleMania, the Las Vegas stage should be Vaquer’s. The champion should successfully retain, cementing her spot as the face of the next wave of elite wrestling talent.

Brock Lesnar Beats Cody Rhodes

In one of the most shocking moments of the night, Brock Lesnar should dethrone Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship after the two men rekindle their previous trilogy of matches from 2023.

Add in the fact that it should be a lopsided victory with Lesnar destroying Rhodes and sending him away from WWE Programming, and the shocking win would create massive buzz for WWE at a time when the company values viral moments over high-stakes storytelling.

While Rhodes is away, Lesnar should refuse to work additional shows without more money and start taking the company hostage as a part-time champion, a move that would draw the ire of the WWE Universe.

Brock playing the role of a part-time champion has worked in the past, and it would set the stage for Rhodes’ triumphant return as the babyface chasing the title. The redemption arc could culminate at SummerSlam or WrestleMania 43 with Rhodes reclaiming the championship.

For more wrestling talk, listen toRing Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).

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Oct 18, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

Coming into NBA training camp, optimism abounds. Staffers and players are excited. Seemingly everyone has had the best summer of their lives. It takes a lot more than a preseason loss to dampen anyone’s spirits.

No, dampening spirits is what happens when a team gets punked in the regular season.

Or perhaps when BPI — ESPN’s Basketball Power Index — says a team might not win quite as much as all the optimism suggests.

This year, BPI’s win-total predictions aren’t radically different from what Las Vegas projects, so we’re going to clue you in on what Vegas doesn’t really tell you — things such as the chances your team will gets a top-six seed in the playoffs, its likelihood of making the Finals, and maybe even the reason.

From the No. 1 team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, down to a few squads ranked in the 20s, here’s what BPI forecasts. The complete set of numbers is here and updated daily during the season.

BPI’s top six in the Western Conference

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1 overall)

OKC has a 98% chance of earning a top-four seed. For perspective, that’s like having an eight-point lead with two minutes left in a game.

I’m not sure whether people realize how deep OKC is. Last season, the net points metric we use to evaluate players was positive for everyone in the Thunder’s rotation and a couple of guys outside of their rotation — 12 team members in total. In contrast, the Thunder’s Finals’ opponents, the Pacers, had just five players positive in the regular season.

No. 2 Denver Nuggets (No. 3)

The Nuggets have a 67% chance of earning a top-four seed, which brings home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The gap between the Nuggets’ starters and their bench was the biggest in the NBA last season. The starters added 7.6 points to their scoring margin per game, and the bench took away 3.8. That pattern has been true for years. But this past summer, the net points metric suggests the team improved — from Michael Porter Jr. to Cam Johnson, from Russell Westbrook to Tim Hardaway Jr., and from DeAndre Jordan to Jonas Valanciunas.

No. 3 Houston Rockets (No. 4)

Houston has a 49% chance to take a top-three seed.

This accounts for Fred VanVleet’s season-ending injury, but BPI sees pretty good depth to compensate. The net points metric had these Rockets as the bottom four players on the roster last season: Cam Whitmore, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and Reed Sheppard. Of those, only the second-year point guard Sheppard returns.

Oh, and they got Kevin Durant.

No. 4 LA Clippers (No. 6)

The Clippers have a 21% chance of progressing to the Western Conference finals, lower than they’d like with all their veterans.

The Clippers are the oldest team in the NBA heading into the season, with eight of their rotation players over 30: Nic Batum, Bradley Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Brook Lopez and Chris Paul.

But with those guys plus three regulars under 30 — Ivica Zubac, John Collins and Derrick Jones Jr. — that’s a lot of quality players to step in if or when Leonard is out.

No. 5 Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 9)

The Wolves are in the same division as OKC and Denver, so their chance to win it all is small (3%), but their shot at getting a top-six seed is 63%.

Anthony Edwards’ combination of scoring from 3-point range and from the foul line was worth plus-5.2 net points per 48 minutes last year, second only to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who wasn’t as balanced.

Edwards added only plus-1.9 net points from those two areas as a rookie, but he has gotten better every season. Shooting almost 40% from 3 last season helped him improve so much year-over-year. Is that sustainable? Probably not.

No. 6 Golden State Warriors (No. 11)

The Warriors have only a 25% chance at a top-four seed, but a 51% shot to land in the top six.

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One of the things that distinguished the glory days of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson was that they all played better when they were together on the court. That hasn’t happened with Jimmy Butler … yet.

Some of that has to do with getting familiar with each other, a real effect that should show itself this season. BPI doesn’t factor that in right now (machines still have plenty to learn), so it is still a bit skeptical based on what the Warriors did last season.

BPI’s play-in candidates in the West

No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies (No. 14)

BPI is a little more optimistic on Memphis’ playoff chances than Vegas, pegging the Grizzlies at 51%, compared with 43%.

Memphis won 48 games last year with Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Santi Aldama and Desmond Bane. Bane is gone, but they picked up more depth with Ty Jerome, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a great team guy.

Morant and Jackson always project to miss games, which BPI acknowledges, but Morant can be dominant when he is playing. The Grizzlies won 48 last year with both of them missing games, so BPI sees a similar season in 2025-26.

No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers (No. 15)

The Lakers have a 70% chance to avoid a play-in and make the playoffs straight up, thus saving LeBron James’ legs for a week. That 70% is like a four- or five-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Lakers’ stars are still building chemistry. Luka Doncic averaged plus-3.1 offensive net points per 48 minutes with James in the game, but plus-8.3 with him out, a number right up there with Nikola Jokic or SGA.

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Currently, James is slated to be sidelined until mid-November. He’s still a star (though his impact is probably 5-6 points worse than it was at peak LeBron), so missing time hurts, but it’s only a few games so it doesn’t kill the team’s projection.

One big reason is that Doncic is so good on his own — playing at that plus-8.3 level or even plus-5 over longer periods of time.

No. 9 Dallas Mavericks (No. 17)

BPI gives the Mavs a 7% chance of reaching the West finals — and a 51% shot at making the playoffs.

BPI doesn’t like rookies. Most coaches don’t like most rookies. Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis were No. 1 picks, but as rookies their teams won about one-third of their games. This year’s No. 1 pick is Cooper Flagg, though, and he doesn’t project to be a normal No. 1 pick, but to be good right away.

What if he plays at plus-2 net points per 48 minutes, which is essentially the bottom of All-Star level?

If Flagg is that good, which very few rookies are (Jokic and Chris Paul come to mind), Dallas moves up to fourth in the West in projected BPI, with a better chance at those conference finals.

No. 10 San Antonio Spurs (No. 18)

Per BPI, the Spurs have around a 50-50 chance at the playoffs.

It’s remarkable that Victor Wembanyama has a legitimate chance to go three years into his career without even making the playoffs.

He looks like a superstar with the most intimidating presence on defense we’ve seen in decades. But he has averaged 58 games in two seasons, and big men tend to have a hard time staying healthy.

His offensive versatility looks good too, but he turns the ball over a lot. He has 19 turnovers in 79 minutes of preseason action and had the lowest assist-to-turnover rate among the 40 players with the highest turnover rates last year.

It took Steph Curry until his fourth season to make the playoffs, so it won’t be a terrible sign if Wemby also takes that long.

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Paolo Banchero elevates for alley-oop

Paolo Banchero gets up for alley-oop slam vs. New Orleans Pelicans

BPI’s top six in the Eastern Conference

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 2 overall)

Despite missing the conference finals the past two years, BPI gives Cleveland a 51% chance of making it this year.

Donovan Mitchell was incredibly important to the Cavaliers last year. In their wins, he averaged plus-6.1 net points per 48 minutes. In their losses, he was negative at minus-2.4 net points per 48 minutes. That difference was one of the top 10 biggest last year. Not that stopping Mitchell is easy, but it suggests a fairly straightforward key for opponents to limit the Cavs.

The Cavs also got the most benefit of injuries of any team last year, between their own injuries and opponent injuries, gaining 5.7 wins relative to average.

No. 2 New York Knicks (No. 5)

The Knicks have a 95% chance of having a top-six seed at playoff time. They have a 49% chance of being in the top two in the East.

Jalen Brunson was indeed Clutch Player of the Year last year, adding plus-13 offensive net points per 100 possessions of clutch time, which, of course, ignores his defense. To a significant degree, BPI sees much of the same as last year, which makes sense given the returns of the Knicks’ top six to seven players.

But that also assumes the coaching change doesn’t hurt them.

No. 3 Orlando Magic (No. 7)

The Magic have a 56% chance of a top-four seed in the weak Eastern Conference. That’s like starting the fourth quarter with a two-point lead, so the injury bug had better not hit them like it did last year.

For the Magic to take a leap, they need Paolo Banchero to play like he did after the trade deadline last year when he was a top-20 player, posting plus-3.2 net points per 48 minutes.

In the month before the trade deadline, he was quite poor, at minus-3.3 net points per 48 minutes.

No. 4 Atlanta Hawks (No. 8)

The Hawks have a 24% chance at a top-two seed in the East. That’s like pulling out a win when entering the fourth quarter down five or six points, so not at all impossible. They have an 85% chance at landing in the top six.

Atlanta was 18th in defense last year. The team hasn’t sniffed the top half of the defensive rankings since before COVID. That happens to correspond to how long Trae Young has been in Atlanta.

But with 50 or 60 games of Kristaps Porzingis and a full season of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, BPI projects the Hawks to be a top-10 defense (just barely).

No. 5 Philadelphia 76ers (No. 10)

BPI projects Joel Embiid will play 64 games, which is part of what gives the 76ersa 90% chance to make the playoffs, something they’ve done every season in which Embiid has played 50 games.

Embiid has always been a high-risk, high-reward player. When he has played, he has been great.

But last year was different. Even when he played, he wasn’t great, posting a career-low shooting percentage among other statistical duds. He was still an above-average player, but not the dominant force he has been. Usually, that kind of change is a blip, not a trend.

The 76ers’ immediate future might depend on that.

No. 6 Detroit Pistons (No. 12)

The Pistons went from 14 wins to 44 in a single season. That kind of bump can mean a regression the following year, but BPI sees them replicating last year, with a projected win total of 44 and about a 30% chance of advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

Cade Cunningham jumped into All-Star range last season, in part by creating very high-quality shots for teammates (fifth in the league, per GeniusIQ).

He was looking for and finding guys like Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson, all of whom got better from 2024 to 2025.

That’s a young core to go with steady veteran Tobias Harris.

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Perk: Celtics will make the playoffs

Kendrick Perkins joins “NBA Today” to break down what a successful season looks like for the Celtics.

BPI’s play-in candidates in the East

No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks (No. 13)

BPI can’t predict whether Milwaukee trades Giannis Antetokounmpo away, but that does probably depend on how close the team comes to the Finals. And BPI only gives the Bucks a 13% chance at the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are three reasons BPI is generally skeptical of Milwaukee’s chances:

1. Milwaukee lost Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez, two consistently good players.

2. Newly acquired Myles Turner played terribly the first two months of last season before playing well, and he has a pattern of playing half-seasons well.

3. Kevin Porter Jr. played the best 30 games of his career for the Bucks at the end of the season. A repeat is unlikely.

No. 8 Boston Celtics (No. 16)

Supposedly, the Celtics aren’t taking a gap year, and BPI does give them a 50% chance to make the playoffs. But they could easily decide midway into the season to take a gap semester.

Jayson Tatum’s absence means more shots for the Celtics who remain. Jaylen Brown will get some, but he will lose efficiency in doing so, probably just enough that his overall productivity will drop some.

Payton Pritchard will get some shots, too, but, per GeniusIQ, he has outshot his personalized shot quality by over 3% the past three years, behind only two other players with a thousand shots in that time period.

Derrick White probably can’t take more shots and retain his great efficiency, either. BPI projects an average offense this year. We’ll see.

No. 9 Indiana Pacers (No. 19)

With Tyrese Haliburton out for the season, BPI gives the Pacers a 36% chance to make the playoffs.

It’s ironic now, but the Pacers had the second biggest injury advantage last year in the regular season, gaining plus-5.6 wins due to their own injuries relative to opponents’. Some regression from that was bound to happen, and they obviously won’t replicate that with Haliburton out for the year.

The Pacers play fast, in general, which helps Pascal Siakam, and it should help Bennedict Mathurin. Siakam projects well with BPI, Mathurin not as much.

I’ve been a Mathurin advocate for a while, so I want to believe in the generally high level of play he has shown in the preseason. If he continues that, and the remaining Pacers stay healthy, their postseason chances are clearly higher.

No. 10 Toronto Raptors (No. 20)

The Raptors sit at the eighth or ninth best team in the East, per BPI, and with the highest chance of landing in a play-in, at 57%.

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At some point after the trade deadline last year, there was a statistic floating around that said the Raptors had the easiest stretch of 20 games in NBA history, based on the records of the teams they were to face. BPI can’t do all of NBA history, but it does confirm that they had the weakest schedule after the trade deadline by a pretty good margin.

So the fact that Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, Scottie Barnes and Ja’Kobe Walter were all pretty good in that time frame should be put in context.

For this season, Walter drops to “average” instead of good, especially in light of how poor he was before then, but the others guys remain in the good range.

For what it’s worth, though, BPI doesn’t think any of them are particularly special (or Brandon Ingram, whom the Raptors acquired last year).

Three teams with high-variance players

West No. 11 Portland Trail Blazers (No. 23)

BPI gives the Blazers a 15% chance to make the play-in. Not impossible, but it’s like them being down four with two minutes left.

Through games in November, Deni Avdija posted minus-1.1 net points per 48 minutes, primarily driven by his first quarters, which ranked among the worst in the league.

Over the remainder of the year, though, Avdija got better and better. After the trade deadline, Avdija was putting up plus-3.7 net points per 48 minutes, a number that had him in the top 20 to 30 players in that stretch.

East No. 12 Chicago Bulls (No. 24)

BPI doesn’t like the Bulls’ chances at the playoffs, about 6%, below the 16% that Vegas sees. Maybe it’s because …

Josh Giddey was a wildly different player before the trade deadline last year and after. So what if Giddey played at a better level throughout the coming year, say plus-2 net points per 48 minutes?

When BPI does those calculations, it would push the Bulls past the Heat and make them a legitimate play-in possibility, but not a top-six seed.

East No. 13 Charlotte Hornets (No. 27)

BPI really doesn’t think much of Charlotte, sadly, with a 1.4% chance at the playoffs.

This is one team that BPI ranks poorly, but I’m intrigued by the talent. LaMelo Ball has been good (not great) when healthy. Miles Bridges has athleticism and occasionally really good games. Brandon Miller has shown real improvement in two years. And Kon Knueppel had a great freshman year on the college court.

But Charlotte’s bench, to be generous, has limitations. If that core stays healthy, it should be able to score better than the 28th-ranked offense that BPI projects.

If Knueppel plays well, posting, say, plus-1 net points per 48 minutes, BPI sees a 1.5-points improvement as a team, which would put it on the fringe of the play-in.

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Oct 17, 2025, 07:23 AM ET

Sometimes it takes an expert’s eye to see something before everyone else does, such as Tyler Herro finishing No. 13 on the Player Rater, or Ivica Zubac putting up 16.8 PPG and 12.6 RPG, like each of them did last season.

How many people saw this coming?

If you did, you had a major leg up on the competition in your fantasy basketball leagues — that’s for sure!

With that in mind, we gathered our fantasy basketball experts — André Snellings, Eric Moody, Eric Karabell, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander — and tasked them with detailing their boldest fantasy predictions for 2025-26.

Brandon Miller will finish in the top 40 on the Player Rater

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Currently going 85th on average in ESPN live drafts, Miller’s coaching staff already trusts him to find his own shot, and his ability to create offense for others is only growing. With the potential to loft an absurd number of 3-pointers per game and his knack for amassing defensive numbers, he could follow the Trey Murphy III path to becoming a special 3-and-D fantasy wing as early as this season. Few players his size are this skilled at both slashing and shooting, making Miller an outlier at his position. — McCormick

Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard will both finish top 50 in fantasy points this season, and at least one of them will finish in the top 20

Embiid and Leonard are both ultra-elite fantasy hoops performers on a per-game basis that have a history of missing significant quantities of time. Last season, they missed a combined 108 of the possible 164 games. But I look for this season to be bounce-backs for both. Both are entering the season relatively healthy and all it would take is 60-65 games at their typical levels to reach these milestones. — Snellings

Four Celtics will finish among the top 10 in made 3-pointers this season, even with Tatum out

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No team has attempted and made more 3-pointers than last season’s Boston Celtics, and that will hardly change just because star Jayson Tatum is out for most, if not the entirety, of the season. Four Celtics — Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Anfernee Simons and Sam Hauser — will finish among the top 10 in 3s made this season, while a fifth (leading scorer Jaylen Brown) will come close. — Karabell

Matas Buzelis will be a top-25 fantasy player

I foresee the Bulls starting him and giving him around 30 minutes per game, and his stat set is built for fantasy, hopefully providing blocks, steals, 3-pointers, rebounds and blocks. He’s being ignored until later in drafts after last season’s less-than-stellar numbers, but he has as much upside as almost any player in this year’s drafts. I’m trying to get him everywhere. — Alexander

LaMelo Ball plays more than 70 games

Ball has elite fantasy upside when he’s on the floor. Everyone knows that. He averaged 25.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, 4.9 RPG and 3.8 3-pointers last season, showing his all-around impact. The issue has always been health, with just 105 games played over the past three seasons. I think this is the season Ball plays more than 70 games. He is only 24, is fully recovered from ankle and wrist surgeries, and Charlotte’s added depth should help manage his workload. If he stays on the court, he has top-15 fantasy potential. — Moody

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India’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma) Australian batter Travis Head has praised Indian cricket stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the first ODI in Perth on Sunday. He acknowledged them as two of the best white-ball players, with Kohli being considered the greatest and Rohit following closely behind.The upcoming cricket series between India and Australia includes three ODIs and five T20Is. The ODI matches are scheduled for Sunday, October 23, and October 25, followed by T20Is from October 29 to November 8. The 2027 World Cup will take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Massive crowd for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma at Delhi airport as Team India leave for Australia

“They have been awesome for India, probably Axar can speak more highly about them than myself. But two quality players, two of the best white-ball players. Virat is probably the greatest white-ball player. Rohit is not that far behind,” Travis Head told the reporters.”Someone who opens the batting. I have huge regard for what Rohit has been able to do. I am sure they will be missed at some stage, but I think they both are going until 2027. They both are trying to get to the World Cup. It is great for the game that they are still playing,” he added.Head expressed admiration for Sharma’s batting approach and considers him one of the best players. He values the opportunity to learn from Rohit’s game, particularly since they both share the opener’s position.”It’s nice just watching from a far from someone who plays the game in a similar way, I think, and having played a lot against him in IPL and a lot of international cricket against him, I feel like he goes the right way about things. Having someone to open the batting in a similar position, why not watch the best and learn from the best?”Indian all-rounder Axar Patel showed confidence in both Kohli and Rohit’s abilities for the upcoming series.”They are world-class players. They know what to do, and they are ready to go. They are professionals and they know what to do. They are ready to go. If you speak about their form, they have been preparing well, hence I think they are ready. Everyone has given their fitness Test, they are raring to go now,” he said.Both players will return to wearing the Indian jersey for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy Final this year.Rohit and Kohli have shown exceptional performance since India’s last bilateral series against Australia before the 2023 ODI World Cup.Rohit has scored 1,137 runs in 23 ODIs at an average of 49.43 and a strike rate of 123.45. His record includes two centuries and seven fifties, with a highest score of 131.During the 2023 World Cup at home, Rohit finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 597 runs in 11 innings. He maintained an average of 54.27 with one century and three fifties, striking at over 125.In the undefeated ICC Champions Trophy campaign, Rohit contributed 180 runs in five innings, including a crucial 76 in the final against New Zealand.Virat Kohli has accumulated 1,154 runs in 22 matches during this period. He maintains an average of 64.11 with a strike rate of 88.56, including four centuries and nine fifties, with his highest score being 117.

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The treatment that Ange Postecoglou is getting from Nottingham Forest fans is just ridiculous.

It saddens me, actually, that they are calling for him to be sacked after just seven games – and I don’t think it’s fair at all.

I covered Forest’s defeat at Newcastle before the international break. That was the result I expected, and Newcastle thoroughly deserved to win too, but it still showed all this talk of how Ange can only play one way is wrong because Forest were not open at all at St James’ Park – they tried to contain Newcastle and played on the counter.

The problem they had was that they could not get up the pitch, but if you were a Forest fan watching that game then you would be thinking that Ange did try and play with a bit of balance.

Now they are at home, the onus will be on them to go forward more against Chelsea, whose manager Enzo Maresca has also come under pressure this season.

Chelsea’s late victory over Liverpool last time out was important for Maresca after back-to-back league defeats.

In many ways I hope Forest win, to take the heat off Postecoglou a little, but I don’t see it happening.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-2

Addison’s prediction: Forest will put up a good fight but Chelsea will edge it. 1-2

Aya’s prediction: The Forest manager is under pressure and that is going to take its toll on the players as well. 1-2

AI’s prediction: 1-2

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Mariners over Dodgers in 6

All due respect to the Blue Jays and Brewers, who fully deserved the No. 1 seeds they carried into this postseason, but a Mariners-Dodgers championship clash feels more like a fight between baseball’s two best teams.

L.A.’s resume speaks for itself. The Dodgers were World Series champs last season, then flexed their fully loaded roster by pacing themselves in what was still a 93-win effort. As a result, they are peaking at the perfect time and, frankly, almost have this inevitable feeling about them.

Yet, the Mariners are giving real team-of-destiny vibes. They’ve already matched their most LCS wins in franchise history (two), they’ve been surging since early September and they might have the best blend of stars, depth, sluggers, speedsters, starters and back-end bullpen arms of any team—or have a collection that at least can from a viable argument against the Dodgers’.

Maybe we’re blinded by the feel-great potential here for the Mariners’ first ever trip to the World Series to end in a champagne-soaked celebration. Or maybe this is the recognition of how great this group can be. This lineup is better than it has shown in the postseason, and this pitching staff can dominate any point of a game. Seattle has what it will take to stop L.A. from becoming baseball’s first repeat champion in 25 years.

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It takes more than one elite player to win the Stanley Cup. The repeat champion Florida Panthers continue to prove that is true — and the results of the NHL Rank poll for the 2025-26 season bear that out.

We asked a panel of ESPN broadcasters, analysts, reporters and editors to rate players based on how good they will be this season compared with their peers. Emphasis was placed on their value for this coming season, which explains why players who are out injured (but expected to return) might be lower than if they were healthy now.

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In the case of the Panthers, this put Matthew Tkachuk a bit lower than usual, while Aleksander Barkov (who is expected to miss the regular season, if not longer) did not make the cut in the top 100.

Nevertheless, the defending champs put six players in the top 100, which was behind only the Dallas Stars’ seven for most players to make the list.

As for individuals, Connor McDavid continued his reign as the top vote-getter, holding down the No. 1 spot again, as he did for 2024-25 and 2023-24 and 2022-22 and 2021-22 and … you get the idea.

Here’s the 1-100 list for 2025-26, featuring write-ups courtesy of ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton, Greg Wyshynski and editorial staff.

2024-25 rank: 1
Age: 28

Simply put, McDavid is the best player on the planet, the best player of his generation, and could finish his career as one of the best to ever touch a puck. An eight-time 100-point scorer, McDavid has captained the Oilers to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals; this season, the objective is having Edmonton win its first title since 1990. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 4
Age: 26

Many types of players are needed to win in the NHL. Among them, a puck-moving defenseman who can also be trusted to play heavy minutes in every scenario. Makar is just that, as the two-time Norris Trophy winner (given to the NHL’s best defenseman) is trusted to drive play in every scenario. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 3
Age: 30

The Avalanche? Team Canada? It doesn’t matter. Any team that has MacKinnon is going to pose a serious threat to win on a nightly basis. His combination of control, power, speed and unpredictability has made him one of the best in the world. Like McDavid, he has a chance to win a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in the same season. Unlike McDavid, the Cup would be his second after the Avs’ win in 2022. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 9
Age: 30

Since 2022-23, Draisaitl is second in goals scored (146) and goals per game (0.63). He is a dominating offensive star who long ago put to bed the notion that he was simply a product of his teammate, Connor McDavid. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 2
Age: 32

Kucherov led the NHL in points for a second consecutive season and for the third time since 2019. He can either score goals or create them for his teammates, which has been integral to the Lightning winning two titles during his time with the only club he has ever known. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 31
Age: 32

Only four goalies in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967) have won the Hart Trophy as league MVP; Hellebuyck joined the fraternity in 2025, taking his spot with Carey Price, Jose Theodore and Dominik Hasek. Can Hellebuyck join Hasek as the only goaltenders to pull off the feat two years in a row? — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 12
Age: 26

Suggesting that Hughes can do everything asked of a contemporary defenseman isn’t an overstatement. The consistency he has shown in every scenario has made him one of the game’s best players, and someone who could be instrumental in the United States’ chase for a gold medal at the Olympics. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 6
Age: 28

There aren’t many goal scorers who are as pure as Matthews, who possess the sort of shot every player covets. He has tallied 30-plus goals in every season of his career — despite injuries — and does it all for the Leafs as a standout 200-foot center. — Shilton

2024-25 rank: 16
Age: 29

Talent has never been the question with Eichel. But last season, he unlocked aspects of his game that have made him one of the most complete centers in hockey. He’ll help push his team to capture its second title since 2023, while also helping the U.S. in its push for Olympic gold. — Clark

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2024-25 rank: 8
Age: 29

Could his first full season in Dallas be the one that sees the Stars win the Stanley Cup that has eluded them over the past few years? Rantanen left Colorado in the NHL’s biggest trade last season and then made his way back to the Central Division in a subsequent deal. But with a long-term pact in hand, he’ll be a key player for the Stars for the foreseeable future. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 11
Age: 29

Pastrnak has scored over 40 goals in four consecutive seasons. Given his career total with the Bruins (391 entering this season), he could move all the way to third in franchise history if he notches another 40 goals in 2025-26. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 27
Age: 31

Some might have surmised that Vasilevskiy was heading into a decline based on 2023-24, when his save percentage dipped to .900 after seven straight seasons at .915 or higher. The 2024-25 campaign ended that talk, as he registered a .921 mark along with a 2.18 GAA and 38 wins. The “Big Cat” can still roar. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 30
Age: 29

The Panthers pulled off a unique feat last season, placing two players in the top two spots in Selke Trophy voting. Florida captain Aleksander Barkov — who won the award — is likely out until April (if not longer), meaning Reinhart and others will have to pick up the slack on both ends of the ice. The scoring part won’t be a problem, as Reinhart has 127 goals in the past three seasons combined. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 26
Age: 29

A one-time Vezina Trophy winner (for now), Shesterkin is easily the best player drafted at No. 118 in NHL history. If the Rangers fail to make the postseason again, it won’t be because of their superstar goaltender. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 17
Age: 28

All anyone needs to know about Kaprizov and his value could be seen last season. Before he got hurt, he was among the front-runners for the Hart Trophy, and the Wild looked as if they could win the Central. But an injury meant that Kaprizov played in just 41 regular-season games. The Wild struggled to score goals in his absence before his eventual return helped them capture a wild-card spot. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 25
Age: 26

Brady Tkachuk captained the Senators to their first Stanley Cup playoff berth since 2017. His goal scoring and physicality will be vital not only to Ottawa in the NHL, but also to Team USA in the 2026 Olympics. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 23
Age: 34

The 6-7 blueliner remains a dominant presence in both ends of the ice: 66 points in 79 games last season, while using physicality and his considerable wingspan to disrupt opponents in his own zone. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 14
Age: 28

Marner is the unique skater who dominates individually while also elevating literally any linemate he is paired with. A force on special teams — his penalty killing is particularly good — Marner is more likely to try setting up a goal than attempting to score one himself. And the Golden Knights are counting on his playmaking to carry them for years to come — Shilton

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2024-25 rank: 35
Age: 26

Part of the Stars’ legendary 2017 draft class (with Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger), Robertson has 269 points in 246 games the past three regular seasons. His line with Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen will be one of the NHL’s most dangerous this season. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 58
Age: 28

The Michigan native removed any sense of uncertainty for next summer by signing a team-record $96 million contract extension on the eve of the season — then opened the campaign with a hat trick against the Stars. He’ll also be a key player for the U.S. in the Olympic Games. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 13
Age: 38

Father Time? Crosby has never heard of him, apparently. The Penguins captain is playing as well now as he has throughout a legendary career that kept Pittsburgh as a contender for nearly two decades. And Crosby shows no signs of wanting to slow down. — Shilton

2024-25 rank: 55
Age: 38

Season No. 20 will be the last one in the NHL for Kopitar, by far the best hockey player ever from Slovenia — he has outscored second-place Jan Mursak 1,281-4 heading into this season. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 63
Age: 26

The Devils captain built another strong case for a Selke Trophy in 2024-25 and finished fourth in the voting, garnering 11 first-place votes. Another standout season could see him land in the finalists’ circle. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 49
Age: 29

The heart and soul of the Red Wings, Larkin turned heads with his excellent two-way play during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Can he lead the Red Wings back to the postseason? — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 22
Age: 26

There are sitcoms that have episodes with lesser run time than Heiskanen averages in a game. He’s frequently in the discussion for the league’s best shutdown defenseman, and he’d receive even more acclaim if he had offensive numbers similar to some of his peers. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 32
Age: 29

With Mitch Marner now plying his trade for the Golden Knights, the Leafs will need continued production out of the elite scorers who remain — and Nylander is certainly one of them, with 125 goals in the past three seasons combined. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 34
Age: 31

Forsberg was not immune to whatever plagued the Predators in 2024-25, as his 76 points was a steep decline from 94 the season prior. Will 2025-26 be a rebound for him personally and for his team? — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 19
Age: 28

The top center on the Hurricanes, Aho is a point-per-game offensive player whose defensive play fits the Carolina tradition of two-way play. — Wyshynski

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2024-25 rank: 62
Age: 40

The greatest goal scorer in NHL history began the 2025-26 campaign with 897 career tallies. How many will he add to his total this season — and will it be his last in the NHL? — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 64
Age: 27

One of the snubs left off the United States’ 4 Nations Face-Off roster, the 27-year-old Thompson has extra motivation to get off to a fast start to get his name on the list for the Olympics. Getting on a pace for 40-plus goals (as he has done twice in his young career) would be a good start. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 39
Age: 28

Part of the Stars’ “Finnish Mafia,” Hintz’s 200-foot game means that opponents have to construct their game plan around him. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 21
Age: 29

Point had always been a dangerous offensive player, but his goal scoring has exploded over the past three seasons (139 goals) while taking passes from former league MVP Nikita Kucherov on his wing. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 24
Age: 26

Does Elias Pettersson still belong among the top 25 players in the NHL? That’s what the Canucks star is trying to prove in 2025-26 after injuries and locker room drama contributed to the worst offensive season of his career. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 18
Age: 31

Jake Guentzel has earned the chance to skate with the greatest. He was Sidney Crosby’s linemate for eight seasons in Pittsburgh. Last season, his first with the Lightning, he scored a career-high 41 goals on a line with Nikita Kucherov. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 33
Age: 26

The man they call “Otter” has been everything the Stars wanted after they selected him 26th in the 2017 draft, including 151 wins in 253 career games and a 2.54 GAA. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 15
Age: 24

When Jack Hughes is in the lineup, he’s one of the most gifted playmakers in the NHL, averaging 1.13 points per game last season. The trick has been staying in the lineup, as Hughes has played over 70 games only once in the past four seasons with the Devils. — Wyshynski

2024-25 rank: 28
Age: 32

The newest captain of the Rangers was brought in to set a new tone as the Blueshirts hope their playoff absence last season was an aberration. — ESPN staff

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2024-25 rank: 7
Age: 33

The Rangers have had their ups and downs. Panarin has been a spark plug in their offense through it all. His speed, vision and playmaking skills are top end, and when he’s consistently contributing, New York can look unstoppable up front. — Shilton

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 24

The 5-8 scoring winger has earned social media shoutouts from fellow Wisconsin native J.J. Watt and is looking to breach the 40-goal benchmark after notching 37 last season. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 50
Age: 27

The Chesterfield, Missouri, native is one of the NHL’s underappreciated scorers, with 90 points in 81 games last season. That will change if the Mammoth qualify for the postseason this spring. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 74
Age: 28

Perhaps no player boosted his stock more during the 4 Nations Face-Off than Werenski, who is arguably Columbus’ most important player. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 23

A rising star for the Hurricanes and Team Canada — and on “FaceOff: Inside the NHL” — Jarvis will be a critical player in Carolina’s quest for its first Cup since 2006. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 57
Age: 32

The first player drafted by the Jets 2.0 franchise after relocating from Atlanta, Scheifele continues to fill the stat sheet as both scorer and playmaker. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 79
Age: 27

Whether Jack Hughes is in the lineup or not, Bratt continues to drive offense for the Devils, with 171 points in 163 games the past two regular seasons. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 20
Age: 35

What makes him the greatest hockey player Switzerland has ever seen has been the consistency. A threat to reach double figures in goals, Josi is equally effective in the defensive zone, as he has anchored the Preds’ defensive setup for more than a decade. — Clark

2024-25 rank: 85
Age: 29

Kings fans have known of Kempe’s scoring prowess for many seasons — and the ESPN voting panel has finally caught up. As the Kings move on from the Kopitar era beginning next season, Kempe will continue to be a foundational player. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 83
Age: 37

The legends of “Playoff Bob” are many, as the Russian veteran has backstopped the past two Cup champs. But, he continues to be a reliable regular-season netminder as well, with 69 wins and a sub-2.50 GAA the past two seasons combined. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 86
Age: 23

The latest elite Scandinavian import plying his trade for the Red Wings, Raymond will look to eclipse his career-best 80 points from 2024-25. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 53
Age: 23

Faber finished second for the Calder Trophy following the 2023-24 season and has become a blue-line bedrock for his home state Wild. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: 71
Age: 23

A near point-per-game player for the past two regular seasons, the 23-year-old native of Germany added five goals in the Sens’ six-game return to the playoffs in 2025. — ESPN staff

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 19

2024-25 rank: 38
Age: 27

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 24

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 35

2024-25 rank: 44
Age: 25

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 22

2024-25 rank: 45
Age: 20

2024-25 rank: 41
Age: 27

2024-25 rank: 88
Age: 27

2024-25 rank: 37
Age: 25

2024-25 rank: 66
Age: 22

2024-25 rank: 46
Age: 25

2024-25 rank: HM
Age: 26

2024-25 rank: 68
Age: 29

2024-25 rank: 48
Age: 37

2024-25 rank: 60
Age: 30

2024-25 rank: 72
Age: 35

2024-25 rank: 96
Age: 31

2024-25 rank: 95
Age: 26

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 26

2024-25 rank: 42
Age: 28

2024-25 rank: 5
Age: 27

2024-25 rank: 82
Age: 31

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 20

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 31

2024-25 rank: 90
Age: 29

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 21

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 27

2024-25 rank: 43
Age: 30

2024-25 rank: 29
Age: 33

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 24

2024-25 rank: HM
Age: 26

2024-25 rank: 40
Age: 35

2024-25 rank: 59
Age: 24

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 31

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 23

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 20

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 23

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 23

2024-25 rank: 84
Age: 31

2024-25 rank: 76
Age: 32

2024-25 rank: 36
Age: 30

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 22

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 27

2024-25 rank: 47
Age: 26

2024-25 rank: 93
Age: 27

2024-25 rank: HM
Age: 21

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 22

2024-25 rank: 78
Age: 33

2024-25 rank: NR
Age: 30

Honorable mentions

Note: Players are listed in alphabetical order.

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, Colorado Avalanche
Leo Carlsson, C, Anaheim Ducks
Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers
Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, C, Vegas Golden Knights
Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Colton Parayko, D, St. Louis Blues
Dylan Strome, C, Washington Capitals

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  Kevin PeltonOct 14, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

  Close

  • Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series
  • Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers
  • Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system

How will the NBA season look if my stats-based projections are an accurate measure of team ability?

The purpose of simulating the NBA season ahead of time is generally to see how often various things are likely to happen, from the weakest teams winning the draft lottery to the best ones taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

It can also be fun to go through individual runs of the simulation to give an idea of what unlikely events could become reality based on random chance.

In the spirit of ESPN’s NFL tradition of detailing the events of a single simulation, let’s go through the NBA season using simulation No. 620 — chosen because of its interesting outcomes — from opening night to the end of the NBA Finals.

Note, this is not my prediction (or ESPN’s) of how this season will unfold. The outcomes are produced at random via simulation, and everything else, including player stats, takes creative license.

Along the way, we’ll crown an NBA Cup winner, enjoy the action on Christmas Day, determine the final playoff seeds, set the draft lottery and winner, run through the play-in tournament, playoffs and finally, name the 2025-26 NBA champion. Let’s get to it.

Oct. 21: Thunder, Warriors dominate Opening Night

Oklahoma City Thunder over Houston Rockets
Golden State Warriors over Los Angeles Lakers

After getting their championship rings and raising the first banner in the rafters at Paycom Arena, the Thunder showed why they were favored to repeat with an impressive win during Kevin Durant’s Houston debut. Durant scored 27 points against his former team, the first day of the regular season, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams both topped 20 points and Chet Holmgren had five blocks.

Later, the Warriors spoiled Luka Doncic’s first home opener with the Lakers, handing them a 107-99 defeat. Afterward, an ebullient Draymond Green vowed that the Warriors, not Oklahoma City, should be considered the title favorites.

Illustration by ESPN

Dec. 16: NBA Cup final features unexpected matchup

Quarterfinals:

(1) Boston Celtics over (4) Detroit Pistons
(2) Miami Heat over (3) Cleveland Cavaliers
(4) Minnesota Timberwolves over (1) Oklahoma City Thunder
(3) Portland Trail Blazers over (2) Memphis Grizzlies

Semifinals:

(1) Boston Celtics over (2) Miami Heat
(3) Portland Trail Blazers over (4) Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA Cup final (Dec. 16):

(1) Boston Celtics over (3) Portland Trail Blazers

The NBA Cup, running from Oct. 21 to Dec. 16, resulted in an unexpected final in Las Vegas that pitted the Celtics against former guard Jrue Holiday and the Trail Blazers. Boston, off to a 16-10 start without the injured Jayson Tatum, finished as the No. 1 seed in the East play-in and beat the Pistons at home and the Heat in the semifinals in Las Vegas.

The upstart Blazers, also 16-10, took advantage of the Thunder getting upset by the Timberwolves at home during the quarterfinals. Portland also won on the road, in Memphis, and then beat Minnesota in the semifinals.

Alas, the Blazers’ run ended in a 115-103 loss. Portland shot 10-of-36 on 3s, while Derrick White and Payton Pritchard made four apiece for Boston, which immediately shut down talk of referring to the NBA Cup as “Banner 19.” Still, the Celtics were able to match the rival Lakers’ inaugural NBA Cup title.

Dec. 25: Knicks, Lakers stumble on Christmas

Struggling teams were the storyline on Christmas Day. The Cavaliers and Knicks, who entered the season as East favorites, were 11th and seventh, respectively, going into their matchup at Madison Square Garden. The Cavaliers, buried by early-season injuries to the backcourt, got some measure of satisfaction with a win over the Knicks.

There was no such relief for the Lakers, who dropped five games below .500 after losing at home to Houston.

The vibes were better for the top two teams in the West, the surprising Warriors and Thunder, who both won at home. So did the Denver Nuggets behind a 30-point triple-double from Nikola Jokic.

NBA Standings through Dec. 25

Eastern
Conf.WLWin%Western
Conf.WLWin%Orlando
Magic188.692Golden State
Warriors207.741Atlanta
Hawks189.667Oklahoma City
Thunder197.731Miami
Heat179.654Minnesota
Timberwolves1610.615Milwaukee
Bucks1710.630Portland
Trail Blazers1610.615Boston
Celtics1610.615Memphis
Grizzlies1511.577Toronto
Raptors1611.593Houston
Rockets1310.565New York
Knicks1411.560Los Angeles
Clippers1412.538Philadelphia
76ers1411.560Denver
Nuggets1312.520Indiana
Pacers1412.538New Orleans
Pelicans1413.519Detroit
Pistons1313.500Sacramento
Kings1214.462Cleveland
Cavaliers1215.444San Antonio
Spurs1114.440Charlotte
Hornets818.308Dallas
Mavericks1116.407Chicago
Bulls718.280Los Angeles
Lakers1015.400Brooklyn
Nets421.160Phoenix
Suns1016.385Washington
Wizards321.125Utah
Jazz223.080

Feb 15: Warriors all the hype at All-Star break

As the NBA gathered from Feb. 13 to 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, the Warriors were the talk of the league. Green and Jimmy Butler III joined Steph Curry on the West roster thanks to Golden State’s league-best 42-13 record at the break.

In the rearview mirror of the experienced Warriors there was plenty of youth with the Thunder 4.5 games back in the West and the ascendant Magic top the East with the NBA’s second-best record. After their slow starts, the Knicks and Cavaliers had righted the ships, moving up to second and fourth in the conference, respectively.

The Clippers were tied for fourth in the West, but their crosstown rivals continued to stumble. Now 12 games below .500, the Lakers were all but eliminated from the play-in race at six games back of the Sacramento Kings for 10th. LeBron James mused about taking March off to watch his son Bryce play in the NCAA tournament for the Arizona Wildcats.

NBA Standings through All-Star Break

Eastern
Conf.WLWin%Western
Conf.WLWin%Orlando
Magic3716.698Golden State
Warriors4213.764New York
Knicks3520.636Oklahoma City
Thunder3818.679Indiana
Pacers3322.600Denver
Nuggets3719.661Cleveland
Cavaliers3124.564Los Angeles
Clippers3321.611Milwaukee
Bucks3024.556Memphis
Grizzlies3321.611Atlanta
Hawks3125.554Houston
Rockets3221.604Toronto
Raptors3025.545Minnesota
Timberwolves3224.571Miami
Heat2828.500Phoenix
Suns2926.527Chicago
Bulls2629.473Portland
Trail Blazers2927.518Detroit
Pistons2528.472Sacramento
Kings2828.500Boston
Celtics2529.463New Orleans
Pelicans2729.481Philadelphia
76ers2232.407San Antonio
Spurs2616.407Charlotte
Hornets1243.218Dallas
Mavericks2332.418Washington
Wizards1043.189Los Angeles
Lakers2133.389Brooklyn
Nets746.132Utah
Jazz947.161

Beware the Ides of April…

With less than two weeks left in the regular season, plenty remained at stake, including the top seed in the West. The Thunder had closed within 2.5 games of the still-hot Warriors. The race to avoid the play-in was hard-fought with three teams at 40 wins apiece, albeit with the Blazers two games back in the loss column of Houston and Minnesota.

Two games back in the loss column for the play-in, the Mavericks were still looking to make it with Kyrie Irving’s return to the lineup. In the East, the Celtics — who had gone just 19-30 since winning the NBA Cup — were trying to hold off the Philadelphia 76ers and disappointing Detroit Pistons to reach the play-in.

NBA Standings entering April 2026

Eastern
Conf.WLWin%Western
Conf.WLWin%Orlando
Magic5124.680Golden State
Warriors5619.747New York
Knicks4730.610Oklahoma City
Thunder5422.711Atlanta
Hawks4333.566Denver
Nuggets4927.645Indiana
Pacers4233.560Memphis
Grizzlies4728.627Cleveland
Cavaliers4224.553Los Angeles
Clippers4630.605Toronto
Raptors4134.547Houston
Rockets4035.533Milwaukee
Bucks3936.520Minnesota
Timberwolves4035.533Miami
Heat3937.513Portland
Trail Blazers4037.519Chicago
Bulls3837.507Phoenix
Suns3838.500Boston
Celtics3540.467Sacramento
Kings3838.500Philadelphia
76ers3540.467Dallas
Mavericks3540.467Detroit
Pistons3541.461San Antonio
Spurs3540.467Charlotte
Hornets2155.276New Orleans
Pelicans3343.434Brooklyn
Nets1264.158Los Angeles
Lakers3244.421Washington
Wizards1164.147Utah
Jazz2056.263

April 12: Magic, Warriors top regular-season standings

The Warriors shut down any talk of a Thunder comeback by finishing the season on a 10-game winning streak to reach 63 wins, their most since 2016-17. In the East, the Magic ran away with the top seed and finished seven games clear of the Knicks.

The No. 6 seed in both conferences was decided via a tiebreaker. Cleveland, which fell back off the pace after the All-Star break, ended up in the play-in with the Milwaukee Bucks getting the No. 6 seed.

Meanwhile, Houston won a tie out West, sending the Timberwolves to the play-in a year after they narrowly avoided it. Defiant, Anthony Edwards vowed Minnesota would get back to the conference finals anyway.

NBA 2025-26 Season Final Standings

Eastern
Conf.WLWin%Western
Conf.WLWin%1Orlando
Magic5725.695Golden State
Warriors6319.7682New York
Knicks5032.610Oklahoma City
Thunder5824.7073Atlanta
Hawks4735.573Denver
Nuggets5527.6714Indiana
Pacers4735.573Memphis
Grizzlies5131.6225Toronto
Raptors4636.561Los Angeles
Clippers4834.5856Milwaukee
Bucks4438.537Houston
Rockets4438.5377Cleveland
Cavaliers4438.537Minnesota
Timberwolves4438.5378Miami
Heat4240.512Portland
Trail Blazers4339.5249Chicago
Bulls4141.500Phoenix
Suns4240.51210Boston
Celtics4042.488Sacramento
Kings3844.46311Philadelphia
76ers3745.451San Antonio
Spurs3844.46312Detroit
Pistons3646.439Dallas
Mavericks3646.43913Charlotte
Hornets2359.280Los Angeles
Lakers3646.43914Brooklyn
Nets1369.159New Orleans
Pelicans3448.41515Washington
Wizards1270.146Utah
Jazz2161.256

Play-in tournament

Eastern Conference

No. 7 Cleveland Cavaliers over No. 8 Miami Heat (Cleveland clinches playoffs to face No. 2 Knicks)
No. 9 Chicago Bulls over No. 10 Boston Celtics (Chicago advances; Boston eliminated)
No. 9 Bulls over No. 8 Heat (Chicago clinches playoffs to face No. 1 Orlando; Miami eliminated)

Western Conference

No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers over No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves (Portland clinches playoffs to face No. 2 Thunder)
No. 10 Sacramento Kings over No. 9 Phoenix Suns (Sacramento advances; Phoenix eliminated)
No. 10 Kings over No. 7 Timberwolves (Sacramento clinches playoffs to face No. 1 Warriors; Minnesota eliminated)

Consider the Chicago Bulls the big winners of the play-in tournament, a place where they’ve got plenty of experience. Not only did Chicago win in Miami to claim the No. 8 seed in the East playoffs, but the Bulls also landed a first-round pick when Portland capped its unexpected season by winning at the Target Center to earn the seventh spot in the West.

Things went from bad to worse for the Timberwolves in the final game of the play-in tournament as the Sacramento Kings handed them a surprise 103-101 loss on a DeMar DeRozan pull-up jumper in the final five seconds. Sacramento players celebrated by donning “Kings of the Play-in” T-shirts, much to the Bulls’ dismay.

There was less drama in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers salvaged the No. 7 seed with a 31-point win over Miami reminiscent of last year’s dominant first-round sweep.

Draft lottery

1. Utah Jazz (from Minnesota Timberwolves)
2. Atlanta Hawks (from New Orleans Pelicans)
3. Brooklyn Nets
4. Washington Wizards
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Utah Jazz)
6. Charlotte Hornets
7. Detroit Pistons
8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Los Angeles Lakers
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Philadelphia 76ers)
11. San Antonio Spurs
12. Boston Celtics
13. Memphis Grizzlies (from Phoenix Suns)
14. Miami Heat

For the second consecutive year, a team eliminated on the eve of the playoffs won the NBA draft lottery. This time, the Timberwolves didn’t get to enjoy it like the Mavericks did in 2024. A swap from the Rudy Gobert trade sent the top pick to the Utah Jazz, who unsuccessfully attempted to deny their interest in drafting AJ Dybantsa from nearby BYU.

The news wasn’t all bad for Minnesota, which swapped down only to No. 5. Meanwhile, the 34-48 Pelicans didn’t benefit from jumping up to No. 2, sending that pick to the Hawks to complete their deal on 2025 draft night. The Nets and Wizards claimed the next two picks, having entered with the best odds because of their combined 25 wins.

Later on, the playoff-bound Thunder and Grizzlies acquired lottery picks through trades; the Grizzlies had the opportunity to swap for the Suns’ pick in the Desmond Bane trade.

Speaking to reporters before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that the league’s competition committee will revisit lottery odds to avoid teams preferring the lottery to advancing through the play-in tournament.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors enjoy a deep playoff run in simulation No. 620. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis

Playoffs

Eastern Conference Round 1

(1) Orlando Magic over (8) Chicago Bulls, 4-1
(2) New York Knicks over (7) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-2
(3) Atlanta Hawks over (6) Milwaukee Bucks, 4-1
(5) Toronto Raptors over (4) Indiana Pacers, 4-3

Western Conference Round 1

(1) Golden State Warriors over (8) Sacramento Kings, 4-1
(2) Oklahoma City Thunder over (7) Portland Trail Blazers, 4-0
(6) Houston Rockets over (3) Denver Nuggets, 4-3
(5) LA Clippers over (4) Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2

The most anticipated first-round series — an expected matchup between the Knicks and Cavaliers in the conference finals — ended up fizzling. Banged up from a difficult regular season and play-in appearance, Cleveland was eliminated at home in Game 6. But there was plenty of drama elsewhere.

Two road teams with less experience won their Game 7s. The Toronto Raptors held former star Pascal Siakam to 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting for their first series win since 2020, and the Rockets shocked the Nuggets in Denver thanks to 12 fourth-quarter points from Durant. Houston hadn’t advanced in the playoffs since 2019.

The Clippers were the other lower seed to advance, beating Memphis, which ESPN BET listed as the underdog before the series. After winning Game 1 on the road, the Clippers closed out the Grizzlies at home in six games.

Eastern Conference semifinals

(1) Orlando Magic over (5) Toronto Raptors, 4-2
(2) New York Knicks over (3) Atlanta Hawks, 4-1

Western Conference semifinals

(1) Golden State Warriors over (5) LA Clippers, 4-2
(2) Oklahoma City Thunder over (6) Houston Rockets, 4-3

The top two seeds in both conferences advanced in Round 2. For a second consecutive year, the Thunder needed seven games to reach the conference finals, but the Rockets pushed the defending champs without injured point guard Fred VanVleet. “We’ll be back,” Durant said in a somber Houston locker room.

The Warriors beat the Clippers in a battle of the NBA’s two oldest rosters, and the Magic and Knicks reminded everyone that they’ve been the class of the East all season. Both dropped just three total games en route to a showdown in the conference semifinals.

Conference finals

(1) Orlando Magic over (2) New York Knicks, 4-1
(1) Golden State Warriors over (2) Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-2

The Magic cruised to their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2009, surprising New York at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 to take a 3-0 series lead before completing the gentleman’s sweep.

Meanwhile, in a battle of the NBA’s last dynasty against a team aspiring to become one, the Warriors lived up to Green’s season-long hype. The teams split the first two games of the series before Golden State won the pivotal Game 5 and then closed out Oklahoma City on the road to host the NBA Finals.

And the NBA champion is…

In simulation No. 620, the Orlando Magic win the NBA title. John Raoux/AP Photo

(1) Orlando Magic over (1) Golden State Warriors, 4-3

The Warriors’ magical run to their seventh Finals in the past 12 years finally ran out of gas at home in Game 7, similar to Golden State’s loss to Cleveland in 2016. With Curry playing through a minor injury by the end of the season, the Warriors’ potent offense operated at less than full strength. Orlando took advantage, unexpectedly winning the first championship in franchise history barely a year after upgrading their starting lineup with Bane.

Paolo Banchero completed a breakthrough campaign by scoring 32 points in Game 7 and being named Finals MVP. He split votes with Franz Wagner, who averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the series while defending Butler.

Interviewed on the podium by Lisa Salters, Banchero credited the victory to “620,” which observers interpreted as a remixed version of his native 206 area code.

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Across all sports, I am generally not a big fan of preseason futures. To me, sports betting is one giant math equation and my primary source of income. The return on investment needed to outweigh churning a bankroll for the six-plus months of a season is a difficult proposition to justify. The risk vs. reward ratio matched up against simply investing the same money in other financial markets without a complete loss factor generally makes it unwise.

The theoretical hold of many futures betting markets is 1.5-2 times higher than single-game markets. That has always made no sense to me — if the sportsbook gets to keep my wager pending for multiple months instead of multiple hours — I believe the margins for the house should decrease and not increase.

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With all that said, though, I absolutely love betting NBA win totals.

Win-total betting mitigates a lot of the concerns of most futures markets — and there are large and quantifiable edges to obtain.

Letâ€s address why these markets are worth betting into, and then letâ€s talk about the three most obvious teams to target.

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Right now at BetMGM, you’ll see the same odds on NBA win totals as you do on normal NBA games: -110 on both sides of the ledger. That means the theoretical market hold — a nerdy gambling term to describe a book’s expected rake rate — is the exact same as game-to-game betting. When betting player awards and title winners, the large payouts look nice but the back-end math is less kind to the bettor.

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The next factor is “outs,†or different places to enter the market. Win-total markets remain up pretty much all season. A bettor can re-position, double down, hedge out or open a middle with relative ease. Juxtapose this with trying to bet some awards, and hedging becomes messy with multiple other options and unclear award criteria.

Lastly, these bets are generally the fastest to process of any futures market. Once a team automatically hits either the over by exceeding its win total with multiple games left, or mathematically hits the under, the bet can cash toward the end of the regular season. Player awards are announced during the playoffs and title winners have to wait until mid-June, so getting that bankroll back in early April factors into the equation.

So where should we put our money for this upcoming 2025-2026 NBA season?

Does Brandon Ingram make the Raptors a better team? (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

(Andrew Francis Wallace via Getty Images)

1. Toronto Raptors (over/under 37.5 wins)

Last season, the Raptors were ATS darlings. They ranked second in the NBA only behind the title-winning Oklahoma City Thunder against the spread, covering over 59% of their games (48-33-1). Considering they were so often priced as underdogs and only had 30 wins, they showed they were able to hang with teams of all caliber relative to market expectations. This was in large part due to an impressive young coach in Darko Rajaković and a deep roster of young, talented players.

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This offseason they made the transition from being a development team to a team intending to win, and the win-totals market does not fully reflect that yet. Toronto added Brandon Ingram and re-signed him to an extension. The Raptors also re-signed Jakob Poeltl, a stable starting center who is impressive on defense, setting screens and is an elite passer. Toronto also drafted one of the most pro-ready prospects in Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina.

The starting five likely looks like: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Ingram, Scottie Barnes and Poeltl, while bringing in sharp-shooter Gradey Dick off the bench. This is a really improved team in a weak Eastern Conference.

I think the Raptors’ ceiling can be as a top-six seed, missing the play-in all together and being an outright playoff team. I am playing their win total over, their odds to make the playoffs and even some further long shots. I love the Raptors’ prospects this season.

Bet: Over 37.5 wins

2. Portland Trail Blazers (O/U 35.5)

In an era when offensive output drives regular-season winning, the Blazers doubled down on defense this offseason. They traded one of their most potent scorers for the aging and defensive-minded Jrue Holiday. They bought out Deandre Ayton, who does provide an offensive boost, only to give his minutes to Donovan Clingan — a very defensive-oriented center, and they’ll play rookie center Yang Hansen and let him learn from his mistakes. Lastly, they put together a really nice midseason run in late January into early February when the team went 10-1.

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But if we look back further, since Jan. 1 they went 25-25. Their big run was more anomalous than anything else. However, the ownership group was re-energized, it re-signed coach Chauncey Billups in what I think was the wrong decision, and decided to run it back with a very similar cast. This team will not be a play-in contender and will not keep pace in the Western Conference.

Bet: Under 35.5 wins

3. Phoenix Suns (O/U 31.5)

The Suns are one of the three teams that lost the most national TV games for this season. That makes sense with the trade of Kevin Durant and the buyout of Bradley Beal, but the pricing in the betting market reflects those changes — and perhaps a little too much.

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Phoenix finally has two centers to fill some of the defensive gaps after trading for Mark Williams at the deadline and drafting Khaman Maluach. Jordan Ott takes over the head-coaching duties, and early reports are very positive about some of his offensive innovation. I think Ott will be able to get the most out of Jalen Green, who never quite fit in with the Houston Rockets.

[Check out all of Yahoo’s sports betting content here in our new betting hub]

Devin Booker has thrived in point guard duties in the past and now is flanked by Green and Dillon Brooks, two players who are surprisingly capable as catch-and-shoot players. Brooks was vastly improved as a shooter last season and shot 39.7% on a solid 6.3 attempts per game from 3-point range, which is actually borderline elite. Even a slight regression still has Brooks as a very capable and reliable shooter now.

Last year this team had star power, but it was redundant because each key piece aimed to fill the same role; now it is more balanced and will be a more well-rounded roster. I don’t think the Suns will win close to 50 games, but I very much like them to go over their win total.

Bet: Over 31.5 wins

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Oct 12, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

The 2025 MLB playoffs are down to the final four teams after an action-packed division series round that saw the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners move on in thrilling Game 5s.

Now that the matchups are set — Los Angeles Dodgers-Brewers and Mariners-Toronto Blue Jays — it’s time for some (more) predictions! We asked our MLB experts to weigh in on who will reach the World Series, which players will earn league championship series MVP honors and the themes that will rule the week to come. We also had our experts explain why their initial Fall Classic picks are still in play — or where they went very wrong.

LCS previews: Blue Jays-Mariners, Dodgers-Brewers | Bracket

Jump to:ALCS | NLCS | Predictions we got right | … and wrong

ALCS

Seattle Mariners (8 votes)

In how many games:seven games (5 votes), six games (3)

MVP if Mariners win: Cal Raleigh (4), Randy Arozarena (2), Josh Naylor (1), Julio Rodriguez (1)

Who picked Seattle: Jorge Castillo, Alden Gonzalez, Paul Hembekides, Eric Karabell, Tim Keown, Kiley McDaniel, Jeff Passan, David Schoenfield

Toronto Blue Jays (6 votes)

In how many games:seven games (2 votes), six games (3), five games (1)

MVP if Blue Jays win: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3), George Springer (1), Kevin Gausman (1), Daulton Varsho (1)

Who picked Toronto: Tristan Cockcroft, Bradford Doolittle, Tim Kurkjian, Dan Mullen, Buster Olney, Jesse Rogers

The one thing we’ll all be talking about:

How a perpetually tormented franchise is going to represent the American League in the World Series. The Mariners have played 49 seasons. They’re the only team in MLB never to make the World Series. And to advance to the American League Championship Series in such dramatic fashion only supercharges the stakes for them.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, spend year after year in the AL East meat grinder, haven’t been to the World Series since winning it in 1993 and returned much of the roster from a team that went 74-88 last year. They’re a delightful team to watch, though, putting the ball in play, vacuuming balls on the defensive side like Pac-Man, running the bases with purpose and throwing tons of filthy splitters.

Destiny calls one of these snakebit organizations. It’s a fight decades in the making. — Jeff Passan

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

The stars in both lineups. On one side you have George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who torched the Yankees in the American League Division Series. On the other, it’s Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. Complementary players matter in October, but stars fuel deep October runs. — Jorge Castillo

There’s so much to like about the Mariners — the powerful lineup led by Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, good starting pitching and an effective closer, and they’re good at home — but they will start this series at such a disadvantage because of how their series played out against the Tigers. Whether Dan Wilson chooses an opener or goes with a starting pitcher on short rest or leans into Bryan Woo for his first appearance in a month, the dominoes from the ALDS Game 5 will affect the choices Seattle will have to make in this round. Meanwhile, the Jays will be relatively well-rested. — Buster Olney

It rarely comes down to one thing in baseball, but as I like the way the Blue Jays’ hitters match up against the Seattle staff, I think we’ll be harping on the importance of making contact as a standout trait for an offense in this era of strikeout hyper-inflation. This will especially be the case if the Blue Jays end up playing the Brewers in the World Series. Batting average is alive and well! — Bradford Doolittle

NLCS

Los Angeles Dodgers (9 votes)

In how many games:Seven games (1 vote), six games (4), five games (3), four games (1)

MVP if Dodgers win: Shohei Ohtani (5), Blake Snell (2), Teoscar Hernandez (1), Freddie Freeman (1)

Who picked Los Angeles: Jorge Castillo, Alden Gonzalez, Paul Hembekides, Matt Marrone, Kiley McDaniel, Buster Olney, Jeff Passan, Jesse Rogers, David Schoenfield

Milwaukee Brewers (5 votes)

In how many games:seven games (3 votes), six games (2)

MVP if Brewers win:Jackson Chourio (4), Andrew Vaughn (1)

Who picked Milwaukee: Tristan Cockcroft, Bradford Doolittle, Eric Karabell, Tim Keown, Dan Mullen

The one thing we’ll all be talking about:

How the Dodgers’ rotation doesn’t just have them on the brink of becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, but might make a case for the best a team has ever fielded this time of year. The foursome of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow will continue to dominate. — Alden Gonzalez

How the big market Dodgers have tipped the economic scales in baseball will be the talk during the World Series, but for the LCS, the conversation will be about Shohei Ohtani. He’s going to get hot. Hitting .148 in the postseason so far — with 12 strikeouts to just three walks — is an outlier. That will reverse itself very soon as his struggles this postseason come to an end starting on Monday. He’s your NLCS MVP. — Jesse Rogers

One-stop shop for 2025 MLB playoffs

We have everything you need to keep up with all the action this October. Schedule, bracket, more »

Can anyone stop the Dodgers? It’s the same question that was asked last year. The answer was no. And now Los Angeles is coming off a series in which it beat a very game Philadelphia team while posting a .557 OPS and hitting two home runs, the fewest of any division series team. The prospect of the Dodgers’ bats staying cold for an extended period of time is unlikely, regardless of what’s thrown at them.

After two rounds, the Dodgers have solved their closer issue — Roki Sasaki is the guy — but their lack of bullpen depth has been exacerbated. For a seven-game series, manager Dave Roberts needs to find at least one more reliever he can trust, or the Dodgers could find themselves in the sort of late-inning trouble that has yet to derail them. If that and the paltry offense couldn’t do the job, perhaps nothing can. — Passan

The talk of the NLCS will be the same story as in the Dodgers’ NLDS win over the Phillies: the starting pitching and their new closer.

Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow are peaking at the right time, the main reason — along with Roki Sasaki — why the Dodgers held the Phillies to a .212 average in their series (and under .200 if you ignore the Clayton Kershaw disastrous relief outing). Of course, the related talk, if they do dominate, is that this is the ultimate store-bought staff of high-end pitchers, with four free agents and Glasnow (acquired in a trade, signed to a big extension). Not a single homegrown starter. — David Schoenfield

World Series predictions we’re right about — so far

I rarely go chalk when filling out a bracket, but this year I did exactly that by seed line — picking both the Brewers and Blue Jays. Of course, those No. 1 seeds were also far less popular choices going into the postseason than the Yankees and Phillies, among others, but a second straight World Series between top seeds is still in play. — Dan Mullen

The Blue Jays easily handled the Yankees, especially at Rogers Centre. They’re rightfully the slight Vegas favorite to win this series with home-field advantage. But I picked the Mariners to win the World Series before the regular season started and again before the postseason, so I’m sticking with them. — Castillo

How the Dodgers fixed Roki Sasaki

After a disastrous MLB debut, L.A.’s new ninth-inning man has unleashed jaw-dropping stuff in October.
Jeff Passan »

The Dodgers were one bad Orion Kerkering decision away from potentially having to go back to Philadelphia and win a do-or-die game — and now, they should be everyone’s favorites. The Yankees just got beaten by a better team. — Passan

Well, obviously the Phillies found a way to “Phillies” again, so they won’t be winning, but I had the Mariners representing the AL, and they have the pitching to hold the Blue Jays relatively in check. In the NL, it’s Milwaukee’s best chance in such a long time. It may be unconventional against the behemoth Dodgers, but the Brewers have the pitching and depth. We’ll have a first-time WS champion, the Brewers. — Eric Karabell

World Series predictions gone wrong

My World Series pick (Phillies-Yankees): If I had it to do all over again, I would have picked two teams that did not lose in the LDS. Thinking back to my late-September self, I’m sure I was entranced by the veteran presence and long ball power on both the Phillies and Yankees. It did not work out. — Doolittle

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I also predicted Yankees-Phillies, a 2009 World Series rematch that failed to materialize thanks to a scorching Blue Jays lineup and a dominant showing from the Dodgers’ starting rotation. — Paul Hembekides

Before the playoffs, I predicted the Phillies would beat the Dodgers in the NLDS and go on to win the World Series. The home-field advantage wasn’t what I thought it would be for Philly, though the starters and Jhoan Duran were as good as expected: 30.1 innings, 6 earned runs for a 1.78 ERA in the series. I’ll shift my World Series winner prediction over to the Dodgers, as they were my second option from before the playoffs. — Kiley McDaniel

I had the Phillies winning the World Series, which says a lot about what it meant for the defending-champion Dodgers to get past them in the division series. They might have been the most talented in this field. — Gonzalez

Since my original pick, the Phillies, decided to play the Dodgers just as Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan transformed the Dodgers’ bullpen into a formidable unit, Los Angeles seems like the obvious pick here now — and why not a West Coast World Series against the Mariners, with the shadows creeping from the mound to home plate in the late afternoon sun, and every game ending 2-1? — Tim Keown

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