The East-leading Pistons visit the NBA-best (and West-leading) Thunder in a marquee showdown on Monday.

We know the 20 teams that will participate in the postseason, but much remains to be decided over the final two weeks of the 2025-26 regular season.

In the East, the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics have clinched playoff berths with guaranteed top-six finishes. While the top four teams have earned some separation from the pack, seeds 5-10 are separated by just 3 1/2 games.

In the West, the Thunder and Spurs have clinched playoff berths and will fight for the No. 1 seed in the conference. The defending champion Thunder hold a 2 1/2-game lead, but San Antonio has the tiebreaker. Below them, seeds No. 3-6 are separated by just three games.

With these races so tight, here are 10 must-watch games this week that will have the biggest impact on the postseason picture.

March 30

David Fizdale and Tristan Thompson make their picks for Top 6 teams in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (7 p.m. ET, Peacock)

Week 24 opens on Peacock with the final regular-season meeting between two teams currently in the East SoFi Play-In Tournament field: No. 7 Philadelphia (41-33) and No. 9 Miami (39-36). With the season series tied 1-1, this will determine the head-to-head tiebreaker if needed.

While the Sixers sit at the top of the Play-In, they have a chance to break into the top six for a guaranteed playoff berth. Additionally, Philly is just a half-game back of No. 6 Atlanta and one game back of No. 5 Toronto.

Although the Heat are three games back of the top six, they are only a half-game behind No. 8 Orlando in the top half of the Play-In field. Miami has earned its playoff spot via the Play-In each of the past three seasons – from the No. 10, 8, and 7 spots, respectively.

Detroit Pistons at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)

The stakes are a bit different in the nightcap as both conference leaders have already secured playoff berths. However, both enter the final two-week sprint looking to hold onto their respective No. 1 seeds against rising contenders.

Oklahoma City (59-16) has the NBA’s top record, but has the league’s hardest remaining schedule (based on remaining opponent win percentage) and holds only a two-game advantage in the loss column over No. 2 San Antonio. The Spurs not only hold the head-to-head tiebreaker (4-1) over OKC, but they are a league-best 24-2 since Feb. 1 – three games better than the Thunder.

Detroit (54-20) holds a four-game advantage over Boston in the East, but must continue to find ways to win without All-Star Cade Cunningham as he recovers from a collapsed lung. The Pistons have gone 5-1 since Cunningham’s injury, but six of their final eight opponents are in the postseason race.

March 31

• Portland Trail Blazers at LA Clippers (11 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

A matchup between two teams straddling an important line of distinction in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament: the No. 8 Clippers (39-36) and No. 9 Blazers (38-38).

The top two teams in the field (finishing the regular season Nos. 7 and 8) have two chances to win one game and secure a playoff berth. The bottom two teams (No. 9 and 10) need two wins and, after that, can only earn the No. 8 seed in the playoffs.

This is the first of two remaining games between these teams (the other is on April 10), and is critical for Portland. The Blazers not only trail the Clippers in the standings, but the LA leads the season series 2-0. A win here would clinch the tiebreaker for LA.

April 1

• Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)

We may be past the No. 6-7 craze from 2025, but the gap between No. 6 (the final guaranteed playoff berth) and No. 7 (the first spot in the Play-In) remains paramount in the postseason race. This matchup sees No. 6 Atlanta (42-33) visiting No. 8 Orlando (39-35) in a key game for both teams.

The Hawks, who are 16-2 in their last 18 games, are in the middle of a three-team race for the final two guaranteed playoff spots in the East. Atlanta trails the No. 5 Toronto Raptors by a half-game (the Raptors hold the tiebreaker) and leads the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers by a half-game (the Hawks hold the tiebreaker).

The Magic, who are coming off a 52-point loss to Toronto, are looking to hold off the No. 9 Heat and No. 10 Hornets (they’re a half-game up on each) in the Play-In chase. Orlando holds the tiebreaker over Miami, but not over Charlotte. A win over Atlanta would also boost Orlando’s hopes for a top-six finish.

April 2

• Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

This is the first of two matchups in five days between these top-three teams in the Western Conference. While these two games won’t change anything between the Lakers and Thunder – L.A. (48-26) can’t catch OKC in the standings (59-16) – they could prove pivotal for each team’s individual race.

The Lakers enter Week 24 at No. 3 in the West, which is the best that they can finish. (That’s because they are eight games back of the Spurs with eight games to play, and San Antonio owns the tiebreaker.) The Lakers’ focus is on holding off the three teams below them and tightening their grip on No. 3, which would help them avoid the top seed in the West for the first two rounds of the playoffs.

One thing in L.A.’s favor: tiebreakers. The Lakers own the head-to-head tiebreakers over the three teams directly below them in the West: 2-1 vs. No. 4 Denver, 3-0 vs. No. 5 Minnesota and 2-1 vs. No. 6 Houston.

• Phoenix Suns at Charlotte Hornets (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)

The Association crew explains why the Hornets can make some noise in the postseason.

This is a matchup between two teams on opposite ends of their respective Play-In fields. The Suns (41-33) sit comfortably in the No. 7 spot in the West – four games behind No. 6 Houston, 3.5 games ahead of the No. 8 LA Clippers. The Hornets (39-36), meanwhile, are in a tight contest in the East.

No. 10 Charlotte is tied with No. 9 Miami (though the Heat own the head-to-head tiebreaker, 3-1), but both teams are just a half-game back of No. 8 Orlando in the top half of the East Play-In. The Hornets hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Magic (3-1) and have the best Southeast Division record among the three teams (11-5) should a multi-team tiebreaker come into play.

April 3

• Minnesota Timberwolves at Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)

This is the only Friday matchup between two teams in the postseason field. Both teams have plenty at stake as they walk the tightrope between playoffs (top six) and Play-In (7-10).

The Wolves hold the No. 5 spot in the West via a tiebreaker over Houston as both teams have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games. With Phoenix lurking at No. 7 (and holding the tiebreaker over Minnesota), can the Wolves secure a top-six finish this week?

The Sixers are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have their roster back at full strength with the returns of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. Sitting just a half-game back of No. 6 Atlanta and one game back of No. 5 Toronto, are the Sixers poised to sprint to the finish line and secure a top-six finish?

April 4

• San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

David Fizdale and Tristan Thompson believe that Victor Wembanyama is making a real case for MVP with his recent level of play.

The first of two remaining games between these teams (they also meet on the final day of the regular season) sees the No. 2 Spurs (56-18) visit the No. 4 Nuggets (48-28). The teams split their first two matchups this season, with both decided by five points or less.

While the Spurs have locked up a top-two finish in the West, the Nuggets are looking to hold onto their top-four position and earn home-court advantage in the first round. Denver is challenging the No. 3 Lakers (one game back) and trying to fend off No. 5 Minnesota and No. 6 Houston (two games ahead).

In addition to both teams trying to better their playoff position, this matchup also sees two of the top three players in the latest Kia MVP Ladder — No. 1 Victor Wembanyama and No. 3 Nikola Jokić — squaring off. Jokić leads the all-time series with Wembanyama 4-2.

April 5

• Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

A matchup between two teams – No. 6 Houston (45-29) and No. 10 Golden State (36-39) – looking to climb from the bottom of their current postseason race.

The Rockets enter the week holding the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the West. While they have a fairly comfortable four-game lead on No. 7 Phoenix before potentially dropping into the Play-In, the Rockets have a chance to challenge the No. 5 Wolves (tied, Minnesota holds the tiebreaker), No. 4 Nuggets (two games back) and No. 3 Lakers (three games back).

The Warriors are locked into the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament field (they can climb no higher than seventh and cannot be caught for 10th). However, getting to the top half of the Play-In field comes with major advantages. To do so, the Warriors would have to climb over the No. 9 Blazers (1 1/2 games back) and No. 8 Clippers (three games back).

A key question for the Warriors will be whether Stephen Curry is available for this final push. The superstar shooter has been sidelined with a knee injury since Jan. 30.

• Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics (3:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV)

On Sunday, Boston (50-24) joined Detroit as the only teams in the East to clinch a playoff berth. Toronto (42-32) is fifth in the conference and in a close three-team race to secure one of the final guaranteed two playoff spots. Toronto enters the week with just a half-game lead on No. 6 Atlanta and a one-game lead on No. 7 Philadelphia.

While the Celtics lead the season series 3-0 and go for the sweep on Sunday, the Raptors will look for a well-timed win in Boston to boost their chances of holding onto their top-six status.

With only one game separating Nos. 5-7, every game is critical from this point on for the Raptors. If they fall into the Play-In, could this game also serve as a potential first-round playoff preview?