2026 NBA Playoff Picture, Play-In Standings and Bracket Predictions After April 3

The Eastern Conference teams in playoff or play-in positions all held serve on Friday night in the NBA.

The Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers are still on the right side of the playoff line, while the Toronto Raptors are close behind in seventh place.

Philadelphia's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves hurt the Wolves' chances of upward movement in the Western Conference's top six.

It's unlikely that Minnesota will falter down the stretch and concede the No. 6 seed to the Phoenix Suns, but it is somewhat noteworthy that the Wolves are the only West team in the top six yet to clinch a playoff berth.

Eastern Conference

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1 Detroit (56-21)

2. Boston (52-25)

3. New York (50-28)

4. Cleveland (48-29)

5. Atlanta (45-33)

6. Philadelphia (43-34)

Play-In Race

7. Toronto (43-34)

8. Charlotte (42-36)

9. Orlando (41-36)

10. Miami (40-37)

The teams sitting fifth through ninth in the Eastern Conference were all victorious on Friday.

Atlanta, Philadelphia, Toronto, Charlotte and Orlando all came away with wins to keep the status quo in the standings for at least one day.

The Hawks have a 1.5-game advantage over the Sixers and Raptors for the No. 5 seed, while the Sixers are ahead of the Raptors for the No. 6 seed on a tiebreaker.

The Sixers and Raptors each have five remaining regular-season games. Toronto faces Boston and New York and plays Miami twice, while the Sixers have a Cade Cunningham-less Detroit, Indiana and Milwaukee left along with San Antonio and Houston.

If Philadelphia goes 3-2, or better, there's a strong chance it confirms a spot in the top six.

Orlando has one game in hand on Charlotte in the race for the No. 8 seed. The difference-maker in that playoff battle could be when each team takes on Boston. The Magic finish the regular season in Boston, when the Celtics should already have the No. 2 seed wrapped up, while the Hornets face the Celtics on Tuesday.

The Celtics and Knicks face off on Thursday in a potential conference semifinal preview, but it's hard to imagine New York making up the 2.5-game gap to the Celtics, especially when Boston has a game in hand.

Playoff Predictions

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 9 Charlotte

No. 8 Orlando vs. No. 7 Toronto

Play-In Winner vs. No. 1 Detroit

Play-In Winner vs. No. 2 Boston

No. 6 Philadelphia vs. No. 3 New York

No. 5 Atlanta vs. No. 4 Cleveland

Western Conference

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1 Oklahoma City (61-16)

2. San Antonio (59-18)

3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-27)

4. Denver (49-28)

5. Houston (48-29)

6. Minnesota (46-31)

Play-In Race

7. Phoenix (42-35)

8. Portland (40-38)

9. LA Clippers (39-38)

10. Golden State (36-41)

Minnesota is the only team in the top six of the Western Conference yet to clinch a playoff berth.

The Wolves should finish in the top six, but Phoenix is still mathematically alive for the No. 6 seed.

Anthony Edwards and Co. lost their third game in the last four on Friday in Philadelphia to drop two games back of Houston for fifth.

Minnesota will at least beat Indiana and New Orleans as part of their remaining five games, so it won't fall victim to a late push from the Suns.

Devin Booker and the Suns should beat Chicago and Dallas in the next five days to make it mathematically impossible for Portland to jump them for the No. 7 seed.

Portland and the LA Clippers face off on Friday in a game that will likely determine who wins the No. 8 seed and a trip to Phoenix in the play-in round.

The Clippers have the easier path to the No. 8 seed since they play Sacramento and Dallas in the two games prior to the Portland clash, while the Blazers visit Denver and San Antonio.

The Nuggets have a real shot at the No. 3 seed now that Luka Doncic is out for the remainder of the regular season. There's a chance the games against San Antonio and Oklahoma City on April 10 and 12 don't matter to their opponents, which could allow Denver to finish 5-0.

The Lakers play OKC on Tuesday, a game that still matters to the Thunder with the No. 1 seed not officially locked up yet. If they have any other hiccups, Denver should be there to pounce.

Playoff Prediction

No. 10 Golden State vs. No. 9 Portland

No. 8 LA Clippers vs. No. 7 Phoenix

Play-in Winner vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City

Play-In Winner vs. No. 2 San Antonio

No. 6 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Denver

No. 5 Houston vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers