The NBA playoffs are almost here, but first, all 30 teams have to play their final game of the regular season.
While most of the playoff spots are already decided, there’s still some seeding up for grabs as each team plays their last game. At the very least, teams know if their season is ending on Sunday or if they will play another game this year.
There are no elimination games on Sunday, but a few teams can avoid the Play-In Tournament with a win and some help tonight. The Eastern Conference features more scenarios than the Western Conference, but not a whole lot has been made official yet.
Here’s a look at the NBA playoff scenarios for the final day of the regular season.
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What NBA games are on today?
All 30 teams play their final game of the regular season today. In some cases, the games will help decide seeding for the playoffs and play-in tournament. In others, the game is simply a way to close out the season without much impact.
MatchupTime (ET)Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics6:00 p.m.Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers6:00 p.m.Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers6:00 p.m.Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat6:00 p.m.Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers6:00 p.m.Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors6:00 p.m.Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks6:00 p.m.Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks8:30 p.m.Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets8:30 p.m.New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves8:30 p.m.Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder8:30 p.m.Denver Nuggets vs. San Antonio Spurs8:30 p.m.Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers8:30 p.m.Golden State Warriors vs. LA Clippers8:30 p.m.Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers8:30 p.m.
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Today’s NBA playoff clinching scenariosEastNo. 1: Detroit PistonsNo. 2: Boston CelticsNo. 3: New York KnicksNo. 4: Cleveland CavaliersNo. 5: Atlanta HawksNo. 6: Toronto RaptorsNo. 7: Orlando MagicNo. 8: Philadelphia 76ersNo. 9: Charlotte HornetsNo. 10: Miami Heat
The top four seeds in the east are locked up, along with the Hornets and Heat in the second play-in tournament. Additionally, the Hawks are guaranteed either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. Here’s a look at the scenarios.
For the No. 5 seed:
The Hawks clinch with a win OR a Raptors loss and Magic winThe Raptors clinch with a win, Hawks loss and Magic loss
For the No. 6 seed:
The Hawks clinch with a loss, Raptors win and Magic lossThe Raptors clinch with a win and Hawks win OR win and Magic win OR Magic loss and Sixers lossThe Magic clinch with a win and Raptors lossThe Sixers clinch with a win , Raptors loss and Magic loss
For the No 7 seed:
The Magic clinch with a win and Raptors win OR Sixers loss and Raptors winThe Raptors clinch with a loss and a Magic winThe Sixers clinch with a win and losses by either Magic or Raptors
For the No. 8 seed:
Sixers clinch with loss OR wins by Magic and RaptorsMagic clinch with loss and Sixers winRaptors clinch with loss and wins by Sixers and Magic
For the No. 9 seed:
Hornets clinch with winHeat clinch with win and Hornets lossWestNo. 1: Oklahoma City ThunderNo. 2: San Antonio SpursNo. 3: Denver NuggetsNo. 4: Los Angeles LakersNo. 5: Houston RocketsNo. 6: Minnesota TimberwolvesNo. 7: Phoenix SunsNo. 8: Portland Trail BlazersNo. 9: LA ClippersNo. 10: Golden State Warriors
For the No. 3 seed:
Nuggets clinch with a winLakers clinch with a win and Nuggets loss
For the No. 4 seed:
Lakers clinch with a loss OR Nuggets winNuggets clinch with a loss and Lakers win
For the No. 8 seed:
Trail Blazers clinch with a winClippers clinch with a win and Trail Blazers loss
For the No. 9 seed:
Clippers clinch with a loss OR a Trail Blazers winTrail Blazers clinch with a loss and Clippers win
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Updated NBA Playoff standings 2026
East
SeedTeamWinsLossesGames Back1Pistons5922–2Celtics552643Knicks532864Cavaliers513085Hawks4635136Raptors4536147Magic453614876ers4437159Hornets43381610Heat423917
West
SeedTeamWinsLossesGames Back1Thunder6417–2Spurs621923Nuggets5328114Lakers5229125Rockets5130136Timberwolves4833167Suns4437208Trail Blazers4140239Clippers41402310Warriors374427NBA playoff bracket 2026
Here’s a how the playoff bracket looks entering the final day of the regular season.
Eastern Conference(1) Pistons vs. (8) Play-In Winner(2) Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner(3) Knicks vs. (6) Hawks/Raptors/Magic/Sixers(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Hawks/RaptorsWestern Conference(1) Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner(2) Spurs vs (7) Play-In Winner(3) Nuggets/Lakers vs. (6) Timberwolves(4) Nuggets/Lakers vs. (5) RocketsNBA Play-In Tournament bracket 2026(7) Raptors/Magic/Sixers vs. (8) Magic/Sixers(9) Hornets/Heat vs. (10) Hornets/HeatWestern Conference(7) Suns vs. (8) Trail Blazers/Clippers(9) Trail Blazers/Clippers vs. (10) WarriorsWhen do the NBA Playoffs startPlay-In Tournament: April 14-17NBA Playoffs: April 18
The NBA Play-In Tournament begins on Tuesday, April 14 and will run through Friday, April 17. Then, the NBA Playoffs officially begin on Saturday, April 18.
How will the 2026 NBA Playoffs work?
The 2026 NBA Playoffs will follow the same format as it has in year’s past, which will include a Play-In Tournament to determine the final four spots. Here’s how the format works:
The Nos. 7 and 8 teams in both conferences will play to decide who will fill the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, playing the No. 2 seed.The next night, teams No. 9 and No. 10 will play in an elimination game, with the loser officially being eliminated from playoff contention.Finally, the loser from the 7 vs. 8 games and winner from the 9 vs. 10 games will play to decide who becomes the No. 8 seeds in the tournament.From there, the playoffs become a straight-forward bracket system for the rest of the postseason.