2026 NBA Playoff Picture, Play-In Standings and Bracket Predictions After April 6

The Denver Nuggets produced one of the best comebacks of the NBA regular season to move ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings on Monday.

Nikola Jokic and Co. have the inside track to the No. 3 seed and a likely matchup with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

The injury-riddled Lakers will have to try and hold on to a top-four seed to gain home-court advantage in the first round.

However, the Houston Rockets are right on the Lakers' heels and could overtake them as well.

The Eastern Conference play-in race tightened more on Monday after the Philadelphia 76ers lost and the Orlando Magic won.

Philadelphia, Orlando and the Charlotte Hornets are tied at 43-36 with three regular-season games remaining for each team.

Eastern Conference

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1 Detroit (57-22)

2. Boston (53-25)

3. New York (51-28)

4. Cleveland (50-29)

5. Atlanta (45-34)

6. Toronto (43-35)

Play-In Positions

7. Philadelphia (43-36)

8. Charlotte (43-36)

9. Orlando (43-36)

10. Miami (41-37)

Philadelphia, Charlotte and Orlando are tied at 43-36 after Monday's results.

The Sixers fell on the road to San Antonio, while the Magic beat Detroit at home.

All three teams are within a half-game of Toronto in sixth place.

The Raptors need to sweep Miami, who seems destined for the No. 10 seed, on Tuesday and Thursday to fend off any challenges.

After that, Toronto plays New York on Friday and Brooklyn on Sunday. A 3-1 record should be enough to keep the Raptors out of the play-in. A 4-0 mark will certainly do the job.

The Sixers have a clear path to a 2-1 finish with Indiana and Milwaukee at the end, but if they can beat Houston on Thursday, they can at least stay ahead of the Hornets and Magic.

Charlotte has the toughest remaining schedule on paper against Boston, New York and Detroit. The Celtics will still be playing for the No. 2 seed on Tuesday. The Knicks haven't yet secured the No. 3 seed, but they might do so before Sunday.

Orlando gets Boston on Sunday when the Celtics will likely have the No. 2 seed locked up. The Magic should beat Chicago on Friday, so their biggest remaining game comes on Wednesday versus Minnesota.

The Knicks close with the Celtics, Raptors and Hornets all at home. They should do enough from that stretch to keep Cleveland beneath them.

Bracket Predictions

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 9 Charlotte

No. 8 Orlando vs. No. 7 Philadelphia

No. 6 Toronto vs. No. 3 New York

No. 5 Atlanta vs. No. 4 Cleveland

Play-In Winner vs. No. 1 Detroit

Play-In Winner vs. No. 2 Boston

Western Conference

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

1 Oklahoma City (62-16)

2. San Antonio (60-19)

3. Denver (51-28)

4. Los Angeles Lakers (50-28)

5. Houston (49-29)

6. Minnesota (46-32)

Play-In Race

7. Phoenix (43-35)

8. LA Clippers (40-38)

9. Portland (40-39)

10. Golden State (36-42)

Denver jumped ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 3 seed thanks to a come-from-behind overtime win over Portland.

The Nuggets scored 38 points in the fourth quarter and then outscored the Blazers 12-7 in overtime to complete the comeback.

Denver probably won't let go of the No. 3 seed. It plays Memphis next and then gets Oklahoma City and San Antonio, both of whom should have their playoff positions set before the weekend.

The Lakers have a tough remaining stretch against OKC, Golden State, Phoenix and Utah.

There's a chance the Lakers, who are without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves due to injuries, fall behind Houston.

The Rockets complete the regular season against Phoenix, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Memphis.

If Houston beats the Suns and the Lakers lose to OKC on Tuesday, the two teams will be tied on record.

Portland's loss on Monday put it a half-game back of the LA Clippers for the No. 8 seed.

The Clippers visit Portland on Friday in a game that will most likely decide the race for the No. 8 seed.

Bracket Predictions

No. 10 Golden State vs. No. 9 Portland

No. 8 LA Clippers vs. No. 7 Phoenix

No. 6 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Denver

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

Play-In Winner vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City

Play-In Winner vs. No. 2 San Antonio