NBA Playoff Picture 2026, Standings, Bracket Predictions After Rockets vs. Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics picked up big wins on Sunday to help with their respective chases of No. 1 seeds.

Both the Spurs and Celtics are 2.5 games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons after Sunday's action.

Boston feels like it has the better opportunity to claim the No. 1 seed in its conference because of Jayson Tatum's return and Detroit's current losing run.

The intrigue isn't limited to the top two in each conference since there's plenty of congestion in the middle of both league standings with just over a month left in the regular season.

Eastern Conference

Jason Miller/Getty Images

1 Detroit (45-18)

2. Boston (43-21)

3. New York (41-24)

4. Cleveland (39-25)

5. Toronto (36-27)

6. Miami (36-29)

7. Orlando (34-28)

8. Philadelphia (34-29)

9. Atlanta (33-31)

10. Charlotte (32-32)

The return of Jayson Tatum catapulted the Celtics to another level, one that allow them to track down the Detroit Pistons fairly soon.

Detroit lost again on Sunday to extend its losing streak to four games. It only has a 2.5-game edge over Boston for the No. 1 seed now.

With Detroit and Boston trending in opposite directions, it only feels like a matter of time before the Celtics claim the top spot in the standings.

The New York Knicks have the potential to gain ground in the next few weeks since five of their next seven games come against Indiana, Utah, Brooklyn and Washington.

The Knicks don't play Detroit for the rest of the regular season and have one game left versus Boston. By the April 9 meeting with the Celtics, the Knicks have the potential to be the No. 2 seed.

The Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks all have multi-game win streaks. Miami and Orlando have already bypassed the Philadelphia 76ers. Atlanta, and even the Charlotte Hornets, could eclipse the Sixers in the next week while Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid sit out with injuries.

Prediction:

1 Boston, 2. New York, 3. Detroit, 4. Cleveland, 5. Toronto, 6. Miami, 7. Orlando, 8. Atlanta, 9. Charlotte, 10. Philadelphia

Western Conference

Michael Gonzales/Getty Images

1 Oklahoma City (50-15)

2. San Antonio (46-17)

3. Minnesota (40-24)

4. Houston (39-24)

5. Los Angeles Lakers (39-25)

6. Denver (39-25)

7. Phoenix (36-27)

8. Golden State (32-31)

9. LA Clippers (31-32)

10. Portland (30-34)

San Antonio created more of a gap between itself and Houston with its double-digit win on Sunday night.

The Spurs' primary goal over the next month will be to chase down the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 1 seed in the West.

OKC and San Antonio will likely be the top two seeds in the West. The rest of the playoff spots will probably be decided in the final week of the regular season.

Houston dropped to fourth with its loss to San Antonio. The Rockets are now a half-game back of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Houston, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets are separated by one game in the hunt for the No. 3 seed.

The Wolves and Lakers meet on Tuesday, while the Rockets and Nuggets face each other on Wednesday. Denver also play the Lakers on Saturday night.

Those four teams will likely round out the top six, unless the Phoenix Suns can get hot and rise up from the No. 7 seed.

The Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers will be jockeying for play-in positions beneath the Suns. Portland currently owns a six-game lead on the Memphis Grizzlies for 10th place. It's unlikely that any team in 11th-15th in the West makes a run at a playoff spot.

Prediction

1 OKC, 2. San Antonio, 3. Houston, 4. Denver, 5. Minnesota, 6. Los Angeles Lakers, 7. Phoenix, 8. Golden State, 9. LA Clippers, 10. Portland