Playoff positioning, the race for Kia MVP and NBA Draft Lottery odds will all come into focus over the next 2 months.

Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets are 1 of 4 teams with a solid shot at finishing No. 2 in the West.

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The basketball curiosity will stay fixated on the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, which happens when a generational player in his prime gets traded from one place to the other and still causes tremors here in the regular-season homestretch.

But potential drama is stirring within at least a dozen other NBA teams, all awaiting their 2024-25 final fate.

And whatever happens between here and season’s end can carry significant implications going forward — for the Draft, free agency, summertime trades and of course the upcoming postseason.

Here’s what else to look for besides Luka Doncic, LeBron James and a Dallas franchise that’s still reeling from it all:

1. Can the Cavs hold onto first place in East?

While it appears Oklahoma City has the Western Conference’s No. 1 spot on lock, does the same hold true for Cleveland’s grip?

The Cavs entered the post-All-Star break with an identical record as the Thunder but perhaps a bit less of a sense of comfort in the Eastern Conference, if only because the team in hot pursuit of Cleveland is the defending NBA champs.

That could send some concern in Cleveland’s direction, because not only have Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics finally shaken free of the doldrums of the last several unspectacular weeks, they’re hitting their stride at the right time.

If the Celtics make it a tight race, the Cavs could get … tight.

2. The Sixers’ desire for the SoFi Play-In Tournament

That Philadelphia is in this position this late in the season is a bit of a surprise. The Sixers hope to save face as the All-Star break ends by awakening and reaching the SoFi Play-In Tournament.

Or is this really the case? With Joel Embiid’s health still a nightly issue, and Paul George alarmingly inconsistent, the Sixers could decide to shut Embiid down and call it a season.

Their first-round pick belongs to Oklahoma City unless it falls within the top six (which would be the case today). A worst-case Sixers scenario: Philly misses the playoffs and OKC gets the seventh pick.

3. The Suns and the quest for redemption

Phoenix has the toughest remaining schedule and is outside the West’s top 10 in the standings. It’s not just whether the Suns can make the Play-In Tournament, but can they possibly make this season anything other than a lost cause?

If Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal can’t finish with a flourish, this will be a massive disappointment. It will also make other teams think twice before dumping future assets for a win-now project.

It is crazy to think that in a season or two, the Suns will have nothing to show for this and have only Booker under contract.

With 2025 All-Star concluding, the NBA season is about to heat up heading into the final third. What stories are set to be told?

4. The race for … second in the West

If we’re to believe that Oklahoma City is too far ahead — and simply too strong anyway — for the posse, then who’ll be the regular season runner-up?

Four teams are separated by three games — a thin margin that invites the possibility of anything happening. Of the four, the Houston Rockets appear most vulnerable, with a recent six-game losing streak as evidence.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are rising, the Memphis Grizzlies are holding firm and the Denver Nuggets? With a favorable remaining schedule and Jamal Murray finally finding a groove, the edge may be theirs.

5. The race for Kia MVP

It’s getting coin-flippy between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, the two front-runners — probably by far — for the biggest individual prize of the regular season. Both have a strong case for holding the trophy, for various reasons.

It could be decided after two meetings in Oklahoma City on March 9 and 10. Who will have the stronger performance in those games? Which team wins? And: How far apart are they in the standings by then?

6. Jimmy Butler and his impact with the Warriors

The honeymoon is wonderful so far, and that’s how it goes with Butler and his new teams as the breakup is what often goes sour.

The Warriors aren’t thinking that far ahead right now as they’d rather — and should — enjoy the moment.

Now what? By every reasonable metric, Butler should push them in the proper direction. Playoffs? Possibly.

From there, it’s not really about him but about how much Stephen Curry can shed an inefficient season (by his high standards) and give himself a chance.

NBA All-Star Game MVP Stephen Curry discusses the Warriors’ outlook for the rest of 2024-25.

7. Ben Simmons and his last chance

The big contract extensions and projections of greatness are all gone, never to return. That train left the station years ago. All Simmons has left is … what, exactly? That’s what the Clippers intend to find out.

This franchise has a history of throwing life preservers to damaged former stars (Russell Westbrook, John Wall, etc.) so it’s no surprise they’re playing that card again.

There’s nothing really to lose. If Simmons can be a productive rotational player, it’s a win. If not, it’s his loss and his final.

8. The Pistons and the playoffs

They haven’t won a playoff game since 2008 and haven’t made the playoffs period since 2019. In the past two seasons, they failed to win 20 games either time.

At least the Cade Cunningham-powered Pistons erased that last stigma already with 29 wins and counting. Next is a possible taste of late April for a franchise that is 15-8 in 2025, winners of four straight and in sixth place in the East.

The Pistons’ fate might be decided by a tough finishing stretch, though: of their final nine opponents, only Toronto currently has a losing record.

9. Orlando and the chase to find the Magic

This team burst from the gate at 15-7, briefly enjoyed a top-four status in the East, had the league’s top defense and saw Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero go next level.

Then the wheels fell off: Both players missed time with injury, same for Jalen Suggs. Now, Orlando finds itself with a losing record and outside the top six in the East.

Even with Banchero and Wagner back for the 10 previous games, Orlando lost seven. The Magic hope to avoid the Play-In Tournament by taking advantage of a light remaining schedule.

10. Last three teams with the best lottery odds

There’s another, less glamorous race to be decided by season’s end: the three teams with the worst records and therefore best odds of landing the No. 1 overall Draft pick in June.

This could be a Draft with a generational player, if Cooper Flagg, the consensus choice (so far) is really that guy.

Therefore, the stakes are high for the four most qualified teams in the running: the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.

Which means one team will get squeezed. And it doesn’t figure to be the Wizards, 9-45 and showing few signs of basketball life, especially after trading Kyle Kuzma at the deadline.

Keep an eye on the Pelicans if Zion Williamson stays healthy and looks to cleanse his reputation.