NBA power rankings as regular season ends: Who tops list ahead of playoffs?

The 2025-26 NBA regular season has come to an end, and the playoff bracket is officially set.

Sixteen teams – 20, counting those participating in the Play-In Tournament – will now have the chance to make their pushes in the postseason with the hopes of an NBA title up for grabs. The final week of the season saw teams jostling for seeding, as they tried to improve their path forward.

The end of the regular season also meant that the 10 teams that were officially eliminated from postseason contention can formally plan for the 2026 NBA Draft.

Here are the final USA TODAY Sports’ NBA power rankings of the 2025-26 regular season:

Oct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.

Oct. 26: The Washington Wizards' Cam Whitmore dunks the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at Capital One Arena.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

Oct. 25: The Denver Nuggets' Christian Braun dunks the ball against the Phoenix Suns' Grayson Allen at Ball Arena.

Oct. 24: The Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. dunks against the Miami Heat at FedExForum.

Oct. 24: The Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo dunks over the Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. at FedExForum.

Oct. 22: The New York Knicks' OG Anunoby goes up for a reverse dunk against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden.

Oct. 22: The Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers at Delta Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.

1 / 8

Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 26: The Washington Wizards' Cam Whitmore dunks the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at Capital One Arena.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 25: The Denver Nuggets' Christian Braun dunks the ball against the Phoenix Suns' Grayson Allen at Ball Arena.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 24: The Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. dunks against the Miami Heat at FedExForum.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 24: The Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo dunks over the Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. at FedExForum.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 22: The New York Knicks' OG Anunoby goes up for a reverse dunk against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Oct. 22: The Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers at Delta Center.

USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings

Note: Records and stats through April 12. Parentheses show movement from last week’s rankings.

NBA Week 24 power rankings: Top 10

1. Oklahoma City Thunder, 64-18 (—)

2. San Antonio Spurs, 62-20 (—)

3. Detroit Pistons, 60-22 (—)

4.Boston Celtics, 56-26 (—)

5. Denver Nuggets, 54-28 (—)

6. New York Knicks, 53-29 (—)

7. Houston Rockets, 52-30 (+2)

8. Cleveland Cavaliers, 52-30 (-1)

9. Los Angeles Lakers, 53-29 (-1)

10. Minnesota Timberwolves, 49-33 (—)

There wasn’t very much movement in this group as teams at the top of the Eastern and Western Conferences more or less bunkered in. The Spurs got some good news with Victor Wembanyama’s rib injury, and the days off before the start of the postseason should provide invaluable rest.

Two teams out West, however, who finished the season strong were the Nuggets, who ended the campaign on a 12-game winning streak, including a victory over San Antonio to preserve the No. 3 seed, and the Rockets. Houston went 9-1 over its last 10 and now has a first-round matchup against the Lakers, who could be in trouble with the extended absences of NBA leading scorer Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique strain).

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) talks with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) during their game on April 10, 2026.

NBA Week 24 power rankings: Nos. 11-20

11. Phoenix Suns, 45-37 (+1)

12. Toronto Raptors, 46-36 (+1)

13. Atlanta Hawks, 46-36 (-2)

14. Philadelphia 76ers, 45-37 (—)

15. Charlotte Hornets, 44-38 (—)

16. Los Angeles Clippers, 42-40 (+1)

17. Orlando Magic, 45-37 (-1)

18. Portland Trail Blazers, 42-40 (+1)

19. Miami Heat, 43-39 (-1)

20. Golden State Warriors, 37-45 (—)

Composed mostly of teams in the Play-In Tournament, this group will need to prove their worth by advancing in that bracket and then battling against the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the two conferences. One of the teams in the Play-In who finished strong was the Trail Blazers, winners of 10 of their last 14.

On the opposite end was the Magic, who inexplicably lost to a Celtics team that was sitting its top seven players in their rotation. As a result, the Magic dropped to the No. 8 seed and now have to travel to Philadelphia for their matchup in the play-in against the 76ers.

NBA Week 24 power rankings: Nos. 21-30

21. Milwaukee Bucks, 32-50 (—)

22. Chicago Bulls, 31-51 (—)

23. Dallas Mavericks, 26-56 (—)

24. New Orleans Pelicans, 26-56 (+1)

25. Memphis Grizzlies, 25-57 (-1)

26. Sacramento Kings, 22-60 (—)

27. Utah Jazz, 22-60 (—)

28. Brooklyn Nets, 20-62 (—)

29. Indiana Pacers, 19-63 (—)

30. Washington Wizards, 17-65 (—)

The season of tanking has mercifully ended, and now the lottery awaits. Practically all teams in this section of the list were playing for draft positioning, with the exception of the Pelicans, who don’t own their first-round selection. Yet, the biggest news out of this group is Doc Rivers stepping down as the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. This raises questions about the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and whether the team can salvage its relationship with the star. Whom the Bucks eventually hire could be an indicator whether Antetokounmpo is put on the trading block this offseason.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings as 2025-26 regular season ends, NBA playoffs begin