Bold Predictions for Every 2026 NBA Playoff Series
The regular season and play-in tournament are in the books. Heated debates over MVP or Rookie of the Year are pretty much moot. The time for the NBA Playoffs is upon us.
For basketball fans, it's the most wonderful time of the year.
It's also stressful, as each organization's faithful consider what the next couple of months could look like and imagine a possible championship parade in June.
As those visions dance in their heads, we're here to prime you on the eight series that are now set.
Based on recent trends and plenty of prognostication, we have bold predictions for every playoff team below.
Orlando Magic-Detroit Pistons
1 of 8
Paolo Banchero Will Average 30
It was another rough regular season for Paolo Banchero, who had a negative net rating swing and below-average scoring efficiency for a fourth straight season.
But in Friday's blowout play-in win over the Charlotte Hornets, he had 25 points, six assists and two steals in 33 minutes, while shooting 9-of-17 from the field, signifying he may be entering playoff mode.
For his career, Banchero's still struggled from two-point range in the postseason, but he's averaged 28.0 points and hit 41.8 percent of his threes.
And for his Magic to have any chance of making this 1-8 series competitive, consistent offense from Banchero is going to be crucial.
Consider this a bet that he provides it.
Pistons Will Hold Orlando to Under 105 Points Per Game
This might not seem all that bold, given Detroit's second-ranked defense and the commentary on Orlando's attack coming out of the play-in tournament, but the Magic averaged 115.7 points per game in the regular season.
Even with the common drop in pace and efficiency that can come in the playoffs, holding a team 10-plus points below its average would be a pretty significant feat.
And that's exactly what the Pistons are going to pull off. They have waves of perimeter defense from Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland to throw at Banchero and Franz Wagner. Jalen Duren's rim protection has come a long way since last season. And there isn't enough shooting outside of Desmond Bane to truly stress-test Detroit's defense.
Expect the Pistons to win in five (maybe six) games.
Phoenix Suns-Oklahoma City Thunder
2 of 8
Jalen Green Will Have a 40-Point Game
The Jalen Green experience is a roller coaster. A wild one.
He shot 31.3 percent from three on the season, but he topped 30 points three times. He ended the season averaging 14.6 points over his last five games, but he got to at least 35 in each of the Suns' play-in games.
We'll continue to see plenty of good and plenty of bad as Phoenix plays through this series with the Thunder. And in at least one contest (the Suns' only win of the series), he'll catch fire from three and get to 40.
Jalen Williams Will Come Back to Life
It was a quiet, injury-riddled season for Jalen Williams, and that may have been, at least in part, by design.
After winning the championship last season, it's title-or-bust in each of the next few years. And that may mean more conservative injury timelines during the regular season.
The payoff for the Thunder will be a healthy run and Williams looking like the player he was throughout last year's title chase, when he averaged 21.4 points and 4.8 assists in the postseason.
Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics
3 of 8
Joel Embiid Will Have a 40-Point Game
News of health problems (not just injuries) has become an annual Spring tradition for Joel Embiid. The list of maladies that have affected his postseason ability now includes the emergency appendectomy he had just before the regular season ended.
And while that procedure has imperiled Embiid's chances of playing the first few games of the series, he could be back as it winds down.
If he is, expect loads of scoring. He'll have plenty of time and postseason minutes to make up for. And throughout his career, when he's been available, Embiid has scored at a strong rate of 26.7 points per 75 possessions in the playoffs (tied for 10th all time).
Generally speaking, though, his playoff peaks aren't quite as high as they've been in the regular season. He only has two postseason performances with 40-plus points, but age- and injury-related desperation will fuel another one before this series ends.
Jayson Tatum Will Lead the Celtics in Scoring (and to a Series Victory)
A year ago, this would've sounded anything but bold, but Jayson Tatum only recently returned from an Achilles tear, and Jaylen Brown ably filled the role of leading scorer in the regular season.
But Tatum was undoubtedly Boston's alpha before last postseason's injury, and he had ramped up to just about full strength before the playoffs started. Over his last six games, Tatum averaged 25.0 points in 35.3 minutes. And the confidence he generated in that stretch will help him look like the player who led the Celtics to a title in 2024.
With the "old" Tatum back, and Embiid set to miss a few games, Boston should win the series pretty comfortably, too. Call it six games, just as a nod to the stellar campaign Tyrese Maxey had.
Portland Trail Blazers-San Antonio Spurs
4 of 8
Trail Blazers Will Win Two Games
Generally speaking, a 20-win difference in the regular season would generate more than enough confidence to predict a four- or five-game series. The Trail Blazers needing to come through the play-in to even make this matchup is further evidence that the Spurs should roll.
But Portland closed strong, winning 10 of its last 14 games (11 of 15 if you count the play-in win over the Suns), and it has enough bruisers to make life difficult on Victor Wembanyama.
Wemby missed every regular-season contest against Portland, so physical, aggressive defenders like Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija should all be raring to get a piece of the phenom. And they'll muck things up to the degree that Portland steals a couple games.
Wemby Will Have a Triple-Double
The nice thing about predicting a Wembanyama triple-double is that the third category could be assists or blocks. And with the Blazers ranking fifth in the percentage of shots that came at the rim, we can expect plenty of clashes between their finishers and Wemby.
Beyond play style likely leading to a lot of meetings at the rim, it's fair to expect San Antonio to sort of unleash Wemby, in terms of minutes too. This season, he only averaged 29.2 per game. Now that the postseason is here, and especially if Portland makes this first round competitive, expect that number to climb (and with it, opportunities for counting stats).
Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks
5 of 8
Hawks Will Push It to Seven Games
Ultimately, the Knicks are going to live up to their billing as the No. 3 seed, but not before the Hawks make them very uncomfortable.
This season, Atlanta was plus-15.3 points per 100 possession when all three of Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum were on the floor.
And while New York is pretty well equipped to defend teams that generate a ton of offense from the forward spots (like the Celtics), they don't have as many options against smaller guards like NAW and McCollum.
Those two will command extra attention, making it easier for Johnson to find some space, too. Altogether, they'll drive this series to seven games, where they'll ultimately run out of gas on the road.
Jalen Brunson Will Average 35 Points
This one's maybe even more bold, since Alexander-Walker is one of the better perimeter defenders in the league. He's absolutely going to make Jalen Brunson work for his points.
But he also has more responsibility on offense than he's had at previous stops, meaning he'll have a little less energy to stay in front of Brunson.
And with Brunson entering the postseason healthy and feeling the pressures of age and last year's loss in the conference finals, he'll find a way to score even more than the 29.4 points he averaged last postseason.
Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets
6 of 8
The 3-6 matchup in the West should be plenty competitive, too. Since the Nuggets eliminated the Timberwolves in the 2023 playoffs, Minnesota has a winning record against their Northwest Division rival.
And while Nikola Jokić has had plenty of big individual performances (he's averaged 32.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 8.2 assists in this stretch against the T'Wolves), Minnesota's physicality, particularly on the perimeter has caused the Nuggets some problems.
And that's true on both ends. Denver has never been able to get much of a handle on Anthony Edwards' scoring (28.6 points per game against the Nuggets since the 2023 series). And he'll surge well past 30 on more than one occasion in the next seven games.
Jamal Murray Will Average a Double-Double
One of the biggest problems for Denver in this matchup is the size that Minnesota can throw at Jamal Murray. NAW is gone, but Jaden McDaniels and Edwards have both taken turns frustrating him.
And they'll get their shots again.
But Murray is coming off the best regular season of his career (one that's likely to be rewarded with an All-NBA nod) and should be motivated by the narrative that he can't handle the Timberwolves' perimeter defense.
That's going to lead to a strong series, though not necessarily as a scorer. All the pressure Minnesota sends Murray's way should open things up for his playmaking a bit, and that's going to lead to some big assist numbers.
Expect a 20-10 double-double from Murray, as the Nuggets eventually take care of an opponent that's given them fits the last three seasons.
Toronto Raptors-Cleveland Cavaliers
7 of 8
Sandro Mamukelashvili Will Lead the Raptors in Plus-Minus
That's right. The most under-appreciated Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Sandro Mamukelashvili, may be the key to the Toronto Raptors winning this series.
When he's on the floor, the boost in shooting and playmaking in the frontcourt makes Toronto's offense far less predictable, which is why the Raptors' net rating climbs by 4.1 points when he plays.
The thing is, he only plays 21.9 minutes, and those are often against reserves. Cleveland should win the rest of the games by enough to still win the series.
James Harden Will Average 10-Plus Assists
Harden's playoff failures have been well documented. He's about to face the team that gave up the second fewest assists in the league. And he only averaged 7.7 dimes per game as a Cavalier.
But this is another bet on pressure from the past motivating future performance.
Harden is nearing the end of his career. He almost certainly doesn't want to end up on the "best players to never win a ring" list, and this Cleveland team gives him about as good a shot to get off of it as he's had in recent years.
His playmaking will be on point this series, and his finishers (including Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen) will all benefit.
Houston Rockets-Los Angeles Lakers
8 of 8
Reed Sheppard Will Finally Earn Ime Udoka's Trust
Reed Sheppard averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals in just 26.2 minutes, while shooting 39.4 percent from three, this season. The Rockets were 17-4 in games he started. And still, somehow, he doesn't seem to have the trust of his head coach.
Sheppard came off the bench in two of Houston's final three games. And given how inconsistent his role was throughout 2025-26, there's no way to know how many games he'll start in this series.
But, at some point in the middle of it, Sheppard will have enough big games and playoff moments under his belt to finally secure Udoka's trust. And Sheppard's playmaking on both ends, shooting and competitiveness will ultimately swing the series to Houston.
Luka Dončić Won't Play in the Series
The Lakers won't close the door on Luka's availability for this series. There's really no reason for them to do that. Even if they know he's not coming back, tipping their hand might just inspire a little more confidence in the Rockets.
But rushing the superstar back and risking further injury can't be the goal for an L.A. team that would likely get crushed by the Thunder in the next round.
Instead, the Lakers will be conservative with the return timelines of both Luka and Austin Reaves, bid farewell to the LeBron James era and spend the summer trying to put together a roster that makes more sense for the remaining playmakers.
