2025-26 NBA Playoff Picture Set After Regular Season Finale
The 2025-26 NBA postseason is set, with the SoFi Play-In Tournament determining the final four playoff spots. The regular season concluded on Sunday, April 13, 2026, finalizing the bracket for teams seeded 1-6 in each conference.
Finalized Playoff Matchups
The following first-round series are confirmed:
Eastern Conference
- (1) Detroit Pistons vs. TBD (Play-In winner)
- (2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
- (3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks
- (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors
Western Conference
- (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. TBD (Play-In winner)
- (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers
- (3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
- (4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
Play-In Tournament: Schedule and Results
The tournament involves seeds 7-10 in each conference. The winners of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games advance directly to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. The losers of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 games are eliminated. The winners of the 9-10 games face the losers of the 7-8 games for the final No. 8 seeds.
Tuesday, April 14 Results:
Western Conference: (8) Portland Trail Blazers defeated (7) Phoenix Suns, 114-110. Portland secured the West's No. 7 seed and will face the San Antonio Spurs. Phoenix will play for the No. 8 seed on Friday.
Eastern Conference: (9) Charlotte Hornets defeated (10) Miami Heat, 127-126 (OT). Charlotte advanced to play for the No. 8 seed on Friday. Miami was eliminated.
Wednesday, April 15 Results:
Western Conference: (10) Golden State Warriors defeated (9) Los Angeles Clippers, 126-121. The Warriors advanced to play for the No. 8 seed. The Clippers were eliminated.
Eastern Conference: (7) Philadelphia 76ers defeated (8) Orlando Magic, 109-97. Philadelphia secured the East's No. 7 seed and will face the Boston Celtics. Orlando will play for the No. 8 seed on Friday.
Upcoming Friday, April 17 Games (To Determine No. 8 Seeds):
- Eastern Conference: (9) Charlotte Hornets at (8) Orlando Magic (7:30 PM ET). Winner faces (1) Detroit Pistons.
- Western Conference: (10) Golden State Warriors at (7) Phoenix Suns (10:00 PM ET). Winner faces (1) Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 18.
Key Regular Season Finale Results
Final seeding was determined by games on April 13:
Western Conference:
- Denver Nuggets defeated San Antonio Spurs, 128-118, to secure the No. 3 seed and enter the playoffs on a 12-game winning streak.
- Los Angeles Lakers defeated Utah Jazz, 131-107, to secure the No. 4 seed.
- Portland Trail Blazers defeated Sacramento Kings, 122-110, to secure the No. 8 seed.
- Los Angeles Clippers defeated Golden State Warriors, 115-110, finishing as the No. 9 seed.
Eastern Conference:
- Toronto Raptors defeated Brooklyn Nets, 136-117, to secure the No. 5 seed.
- Miami Heat defeated Atlanta Hawks, 143-117; the Hawks became the No. 6 seed.
- Philadelphia 76ers defeated Milwaukee Bucks, 126-106, to secure the No. 7 seed.
- Boston Celtics defeated Orlando Magic, 113-108; the Magic became the No. 8 seed.
- Charlotte Hornets defeated New York Knicks, 110-96, to secure the No. 9 seed.
Notable Team and Player Achievements
The Detroit Pistons finished with a 60-22 record, their third 60-win season in franchise history.
- Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game, his second consecutive season averaging a triple-double.
- The Miami Heat set a single-season NBA record with 12 games scoring 140 or more points.
- Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets set a rookie record with 273 three-pointers made.
- The Los Angeles Clippers finished 42-40 after starting the season 6-21.
Other Basketball News
The 2026 WNBA Draft was held, with the Dallas Wings selecting University of Connecticut guard Azzi Fudd with the first overall pick.