2026 NBA Playoff Picture, Play-In Standings and Bracket Predictions After April 4
The Detroit Pistons secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket on Saturday night.
Detroit won on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers to secure the top spot.
The other significant result on Saturday came from the Denver Nuggets, who beat the San Antonio Spurs.
Denver's win inched it closer to the Los Angeles Lakers in the hunt for the Western Conference's No. 3 seed.
Eastern Conference
1 of 2
1 Detroit (56-21)
2. Boston (52-25)
3. New York (50-28)
4. Cleveland (48-29)
5. Atlanta (45-33)
6. Toronto (43-34)
Play-In Positions
7. Philadelphia (43-34)
8. Charlotte (42-36)
9. Orlando (41-36)
10. Miami (41-37)
Detroit clinched the No. 1 seed in the East with its win over Philadelphia.
The Pistons now don't have to worry about any late surge from Boston in the final few games of the regular season.
The Sixers fell into the play-in positions with the loss to the Pistons. They are a half-game back of Toronto. The Raptors have an extra game in hand.
Toronto plays Boston, Miami twice, New York and Brooklyn to close out, while the Sixers finish with San Antonio, Houston, Indiana and Milwaukee.
The Raptors have the better remaining schedule. They need to be one game better than the Sixers down the stretch.
It may be difficult for the Raptors to catch Atlanta given the form the Hawks have been in of late.
Charlotte, Orlando and Miami will be locked in a fight for the No. 8 seed until the end of the regular season.
Orlando has an extra game to play and you could make the case that the Magic could go 5-0 in those contests to finish ahead of the Hornets and Heat.
Predictions
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 9 Charlotte
No. 8 Orlando vs. No. 7 Philadelphia
Play-In Winner vs. No. 1 Detroit
Play-In Winner vs. No. 2 Boston
No. 6 Toronto vs. No. 3 New York
No. 5 Atlanta vs. No. 4 Cleveland
Western Conference
2 of 2
1 Oklahoma City (61-16)
2. San Antonio (59-19)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-27)
4. Denver (50-28)
5. Houston (49-29)
6. Minnesota (46-31)
Play-In Standings
7. Phoenix (42-35)
8. Portland (40-38)
9. LA Clippers (39-38)
10. Golden State (36-41)
Denver provided itself with a massive boost in its quest for the No. 3 seed on Saturday with its win over San Antonio.
The Nuggets are now a half-game back of the Los Angeles Lakers with a healthier roster and a more favorable schedule in hand.
Nikola Jokic and Co. play Portland and Memphis on Monday and Wednesday, both of which are expected to produce wins.
The closing matchups with Oklahoma City on Friday and in San Antonio on Sunday likely won't matter to the Thunder and Spurs, who will be more inclined to rest starters with playoff spots confirmed.
The Lakers have a game in hand over Denver, but they will be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the games against Dallas, OKC, Golden State, Phoenix and Utah.
It's likely that the Lakers will have to go 5-0 to hold on to the No. 3 seed. That doesn't seem likely with two of their three best players on the sidelines.
Houston is lurking two games back of the Lakers with Golden State, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Memphis left on the schedule.
The Rockets probably have to go 4-1 or 5-0 to put pressure on the Lakers for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
At minimum, Houston should be safe in the No. 5 spot with a two-game buffer to Minnesota.
The Portland-LA Clippers clash on Friday will likely determine which team lands the No. 8 seed and a trip to Phoenix in the play-in round.
The Clippers will be at home for that game and they have an extra game in hand on Portland to close out the regular season.
Predictions
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
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