NBA standings 2026: Updated playoff bracket, clinching scenarios through April 3 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Playoff basketball is almost here.
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It’s early April, meaning the 2026 NBA Playoffs will soon begin — but first, there’s plenty to be settled in the standings. While “tanking” teams have been a major storyline of the 2025-26 campaign, leaving far fewer questions over which franchises remain in contention, seeding will remain critical over the last days of the regular season.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons continue to cruise toward the No. 1 seed despite Cade Cunningham’s recent absence, while the surging Boston Celtics look like another favorite with Jayson Tatum’s return. The middle of the pack is where it gets interesting — between the Hawks, 76ers, Raptors, Hornets, Magic and Heat, only two teams will avoid the Play-In Tournament.
Out west, the San Antonio Spurs are still in the running to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed. Three teams have already locked in Play-In bids in the Western Conference, including Stephen Curry’s Warriors — so the only other significant question will be how the first-round matchups play out.
The playoffs are almost here. Below, you can find the latest breakdown of the 2025-26 NBA standings, including an updated playoff bracket projection.
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NBA standings 2026
The tables below will be updated with the final NBA standings for the 2025-26 regular season. Updated through Apr. 2 games.
Eastern Conference
Seed
Team
Record
Games Back
1.
Pistons*
56-21
—
2.
Celtics*
51-25
4.5
3.
Knicks*
49-28
7.0
4.
Cavaliers*
48-29
8.0
5.
Hawks
44-33
12.0
6.
76ers
42-34
13.5
7.
Raptors
42-34
13.5
8.
Hornets
41-36
15.0
9.
Magic
40-36
15.5
10.
Heat
40-37
16.0
—
Bucks
30-46
25.5
—
Bulls
29-47
26.5
—
Pacers
18-58
37.5
—
Nets
18-58
37.5
—
Wizards
17-59
38.5
*clinched NBA Playoff berth
Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Bucks, Bulls, Pacers, Nets, Wizards
Western Conference
Seed
Team
Record
Games Back
1.
Thunder*
61-16
—
2.
Spurs*
59-18
2.0
3.
Lakers*
50-27
11.0
4.
Nuggets*
49-28
12.0
5.
Rockets*
47-29
13.5
6.
Timberwolves
46-30
14.5
7.
Suns
42-35
19.0
8.
Trail Blazers**
40-38
21.5
9.
Clippers**
39-38
22.0
10.
Warriors**
36-41
25.0
—
Grizzlies
25-51
35.5
—
Pelicans
25-52
36.0
—
Mavericks
24-52
36.5
—
Jazz
21-56
40.0
—
Kings
20-57
41.0
*clinched NBA Playoff berth
**clinched Play-In Tournament berth
Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Grizzlies, Pelicans, Mavericks, Jazz, Kings
MORE:Latest injury updates on Luka Doncic
NBA Playoff bracket 2026
Here’s a look at how the 2026 NBA Playoff bracket would look based on the current standings.
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Updated through Apr. 2 games.Â
Eastern Conference
(1) Pistons vs. (8) Play-in Winner
(2) Celtics vs. (7) Play-in Winner
(3) Knicks vs. (6) 76ers
(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Hawks
Western Conference
(1) Thunder vs. (8) Play-in Winner
(2) Spurs vs. (7) Play-in Winner
(3) Lakers vs. (6)Â Timberwolves
(4) Nuggets vs. (5)Â Rockets
MORE:Â Tracking NBA Awards eligibility
NBA Play-In Tournament bracket 2026
Here’s a look at how the 2026 Play-In Tournament would look based on the current standings.
Updated through Apr. 2 games.
Eastern Conference
(7) Raptors vs. (8) Hornets
(9) Magic vs. (10) Heat
Western Conference
(7) Suns vs. (8) Trail Blazers
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(9) Clippers vs. (10) Warriors
When do the NBA Playoffs start?
Play-In Tournament:Â April 14-17
The 2025-26 regular season will end on Sunday, April 12, and the Play-In Tournament will then begin two days later on Tuesday, April 14. From there, the Play-In Tournament will take place over the next four days, with the playoffs set to begin on Saturday, April 18.
How will the 2026 NBA Playoffs work?
Similar to the format for the last few seasons, here is a rundown of how the 2026 NBA Playoffs will work:
When the regular season ends, the top six seeds in each conference will automatically make the playoffs, while the teams ranked Nos. 7-10 will participate in the NBA Play-In Tournament over the course of four days.
In each conference, the teams ranked Nos. 7 and 8 will play in the Play-In Tournament, with the winner moving on to play the No. 2 seed in each conference.
The teams ranked Nos. 9 and 10 in each conference will play in a different Play-In Tournament game, with the loser being eliminated from playoff contention.
The losers of the 7-8 games and the winners of the 9-10 games will then face off, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in each conference and moving on to play the conference’s No. 1 seed.
From there, the playoffs will follow the usual bracket format, with each series being a best-of-7 format.