We are down to the final stretch of the 2025-26 regular season with under four weeks to go. The NBA playoffs begin April 18, and the play-in tournament runs April 14 to April 17. Every game matters.
How the postseason works
Top six teams in each conference after the regular season earn automatic playoff berths. The next four teams in each conference go to the play-in tournament for the final two seeds.
Where things stand
Teams have roughly 13 to 15 games left on their schedules. At the moment, 26 teams remain in contention to reach the postseason either directly or via the play-in.
Tuesday slate to watch
Tuesday features an eight-game schedule with several matchups that could shake up seeding and momentum heading into the final weeks.
- Cleveland (led by Donovan Mitchell) at Milwaukee (led by Giannis Antetokounmpo)
- Denver (No. 5 in the West) hosts Philadelphia (listed as No. 9 in the East)
- Oklahoma City (No. 1 in the West) tries to extend its winning streak against Orlando (No. 5 in the East)
- New York aims for its fourth straight win at home against Indiana
Teams already eliminated
Eastern Conference
- Brooklyn Nets (17-51)
- Washington Wizards (16-51)
- Indiana Pacers (15-53)
Western Conference
- Sacramento Kings (18-51)
Western Conference clinching scenarios to follow
- The Oklahoma City Thunder can clinch a playoff berth if they win their game, or if either the Phoenix Suns or Denver Nuggets lose.
- The Thunder can win the Northwest Division if they win and both the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves lose their games.
Expect the standings to move quickly over the next few weeks. Teams jockeying for seeding and play-in spots will push hard every night. Stay tuned for updates as results come in.
