NBA Playoff Standings 2026, Play-In Picture and Predicting Final Bracket Seedings

While NBA teams are still battling for playoff positioning with the 2025-26 regular season winding down, the top of the Western Conference standings gained some clarity on Wednesday night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the No. 1 spot in the West as well as the best record in the NBA with a 128-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, locking the San Antonio Spurs into the No. 2 position.

With several teams still looking to secure their postseason spots, here's a look at the updated playoff picture and standings.

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

	Team	W	L	Status
1	OKC	64	16	Clinched No. 1 seed
2	SAS	61	19	Clinched playoff berth
3	DEN	52	28	Clinched playoff berth
4	LAL	50	29	Clinched playoff berth
5	HOU	50	29	Clinched playoff berth
6	MIN	47	33	Clinched playoff berth
7	PHX	44	36	Clinched play-in berth
8	LAC	41	39	Clinched play-in berth
9	POR	40	40	Clinched play-in berth
10	GSW	37	42	Clinched play-in berth
11	NOP	26	54	Eliminated
12	MEM	25	55	Eliminated
13	DAL	25	55	Eliminated
14	SAC	21	59	Eliminated
15	UTA	21	59	Eliminated

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

	Team	W	L	Status
1	DET	58	22	Clinched No. 1 seed
2	BOS	54	25	Clinched playoff berth
3	NYK	51	28	Clinched playoff berth
4	CLE	51	29	Clinched playoff berth
5	ATL	45	35	Clinched play-in berth
6	TOR	44	35	Clinched play-in berth
7	ORL	44	36	Clinched play-in berth
8	PHI	43	36	Clinched play-in berth
9	CHA	43	37	Clinched play-in berth
10	MIA	41	38	Clinched play-in berth
11	MIL	31	49	Eliminated
12	CHI	30	49	Eliminated
13	BKN	20	59	Eliminated
14	IND	18	61	Eliminated
15	WAS	17	62	Eliminated

While the Thunder and Spurs are set at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, there isn't that much stability throughout the rest of the Western Conference playoff picture.

The Denver Nuggets currently hold the No. 3 spot with a 51-28 record, but the team is just 1.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.

Denver also has a difficult remaining schedule, as it still has to face Oklahoma City and San Antonio before the regular season comes to a close.

The Lakers own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Nuggets, but it may be tough for them to end the season on a high note with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves sidelined due to injuries.

Although the four West play-in squads are set, the Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers are battling for the No. 8 spot in the conference.

Following Wednesday's action, Los Angeles holds a one-game advantage over the Trail Blazers. The Clippers also lead the season series 2-1, but both teams still have to face each other one more time on Friday.

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks are looking to fend off the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 3 seed. Cleveland sits just 0.5 games behind New York after taking down the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, but the Knicks hold the tiebreaker over the Cavs.

The bottom half of the East playoff picture is still congested, as only two games separate the No. 5 spot from the No. 9 position.

Heading into Thursday's slate, the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets occupy the three highest play-in spots. Each team is still eligible to clinch a playoff berth and avoid the play-in tournament entirely, though.

With the play-in tournament beginning on April 14, here's a prediction for the full set of first-round matchups once playoff seeding is finalized.

First-Round Predicted Matchups

West: No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Phoenix Suns

West: No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Clippers

West: No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves

West: No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Lakers

East: No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8 Charlotte Hornets

East: No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers

East: No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks

East: No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors