{"id":697524,"date":"2026-04-04T09:53:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T09:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/697524\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T09:53:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T09:53:26","slug":"nba-standings-2026-updated-playoff-bracket-clinching-scenarios-through-april-4-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/697524\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA standings 2026: Updated playoff bracket, clinching scenarios through April 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA standings 2026: Updated playoff bracket, clinching scenarios through April 4<\/a> originally appeared on The Sporting News<\/a>. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Playoff basketball is almost here.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

It’s early April, meaning the 2026 NBA Playoffs will soon begin \u2014 but first, there’s plenty to be settled in the standings. While “tanking” teams have been a major storyline of the 2025-26 campaign, leaving far fewer questions over which franchises remain in contention, seeding will remain critical over the last days of the regular season.<\/p>\n

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons<\/a> continue to cruise toward the No. 1 seed despite Cade Cunningham’s recent absence, while the surging Boston Celtics<\/a> look like another favorite with Jayson Tatum’s return. The middle of the pack is where it gets interesting \u2014 between the Hawks<\/a>, 76ers<\/a>, Raptors<\/a>, Hornets<\/a>, Magic<\/a> and Heat<\/a>, only two teams will avoid the Play-In Tournament.<\/p>\n

Out west, the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> are still in the running to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> for the top seed. Three teams have already locked in Play-In bids in the Western Conference, including Stephen Curry’s Warriors \u2014 so the only other significant question will be how the first-round matchups play out.<\/p>\n

The playoffs are almost here. Below, you can find the latest breakdown of the 2025-26 NBA standings, including an updated playoff bracket projection.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

SN’s NBA HQ:\u00a0Live NBA scores<\/a> | Updated NBA standings<\/a>\u00a0| Full NBA schedule<\/a><\/p>\n

NBA standings 2026<\/p>\n

The tables below will be updated with the final NBA standings for the 2025-26 regular season.\u00a0Updated through Apr. 3 games.<\/p>\n

Eastern Conference<\/p>\n

Seed<\/p>\n

Team<\/p>\n

Record<\/p>\n

Games Back<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

Pistons*<\/p>\n

56-21<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

Celtics*<\/p>\n

52-25<\/p>\n

4.5<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

Knicks*<\/p>\n

50-28<\/p>\n

6.5<\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

Cavaliers*<\/p>\n

48-29<\/p>\n

8.0<\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

Hawks<\/p>\n

45-33<\/p>\n

11.5<\/p>\n

6.<\/p>\n

76ers<\/p>\n

43-34<\/p>\n

13.0<\/p>\n

7.<\/p>\n

Raptors<\/p>\n

43-34<\/p>\n

13.0<\/p>\n

8.<\/p>\n

Hornets<\/p>\n

42-36<\/p>\n

14.5<\/p>\n

9.<\/p>\n

Magic<\/p>\n

41-36<\/p>\n

15.0<\/p>\n

10.<\/p>\n

Heat<\/p>\n

40-37<\/p>\n

16.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Bucks<\/p>\n

30-47<\/p>\n

26.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Bulls<\/p>\n

29-48<\/p>\n

27.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Pacers<\/p>\n

18-59<\/p>\n

38.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Nets<\/p>\n

18-59<\/p>\n

38.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Wizards<\/p>\n

17-59<\/p>\n

38.5<\/p>\n

*clinched NBA Playoff berth<\/p>\n

Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Bucks, Bulls, Pacers, Nets, Wizards<\/p>\n

Western Conference<\/p>\n

Seed<\/p>\n

Team<\/p>\n

Record<\/p>\n

Games Back<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

Thunder*<\/p>\n

61-16<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

Spurs*<\/p>\n

59-18<\/p>\n

2.0<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

Lakers*<\/p>\n

50-27<\/p>\n

11.0<\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

Nuggets*<\/p>\n

49-28<\/p>\n

12.0<\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

Rockets*<\/p>\n

48-29<\/p>\n

13.0<\/p>\n

6.<\/p>\n

Timberwolves<\/p>\n

46-31<\/p>\n

15.0<\/p>\n

7.<\/p>\n

Suns<\/p>\n

42-35<\/p>\n

19.0<\/p>\n

8.<\/p>\n

Trail Blazers**<\/p>\n

40-38<\/p>\n

21.5<\/p>\n

9.<\/p>\n

Clippers**<\/p>\n

39-38<\/p>\n

22.0<\/p>\n

10.<\/p>\n

Warriors**<\/p>\n

36-41<\/p>\n

25.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Pelicans<\/p>\n

25-52<\/p>\n

36.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Grizzlies<\/p>\n

25-52<\/p>\n

36.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Mavericks<\/p>\n

24-53<\/p>\n

37.0<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Jazz<\/p>\n

21-57<\/p>\n

40.5<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Kings<\/p>\n

20-57<\/p>\n

41.0<\/p>\n

*clinched NBA Playoff berth<\/p>\n

**clinched Play-In Tournament berth<\/p>\n

Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Grizzlies, Pelicans, Mavericks, Jazz, Kings<\/p>\n

MORE:Latest injury updates on Luka Doncic<\/a><\/p>\n

NBA Playoff bracket 2026<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at how the 2026 NBA Playoff bracket would look based on the current standings.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Updated through Apr. 3 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eastern Conference<\/p>\n

(1) Pistons vs. (8) Play-in Winner<\/p>\n

(2) Celtics vs. (7) Play-in Winner<\/p>\n

(3) Knicks vs. (6) 76ers<\/p>\n

(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Hawks<\/p>\n

Western Conference<\/p>\n

(1) Thunder vs. (8) Play-in Winner<\/p>\n

(2) Spurs vs. (7) Play-in Winner<\/p>\n

(3) Lakers vs. (6)\u00a0Timberwolves<\/p>\n

(4) Nuggets vs. (5)\u00a0Rockets<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Tracking NBA Awards eligibility<\/a><\/p>\n

NBA Play-In Tournament bracket 2026<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at how the 2026 Play-In Tournament would look based on the current standings.<\/p>\n

Updated through Apr. 3 games.<\/p>\n

Eastern Conference<\/p>\n

(7) Raptors vs. (8) Hornets<\/p>\n

(9) Magic vs. (10) Heat<\/p>\n

Western Conference<\/p>\n

(7) Suns vs. (8) Trail Blazers<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

(9) Clippers vs. (10) Warriors<\/p>\n

When do the NBA Playoffs start?<\/p>\n

Play-In Tournament:\u00a0April 14-17<\/p>\n

The 2025-26 regular season will end on Sunday, April 12, and the Play-In Tournament will then begin two days later on Tuesday, April 14. From there, the Play-In Tournament will take place over the next four days, with the playoffs set to begin on Saturday, April 18.<\/p>\n

How will the 2026 NBA Playoffs work?<\/p>\n

Similar to the format for the last few seasons, here is a rundown of how the 2026 NBA Playoffs will work:<\/p>\n

When the regular season ends, the top six seeds in each conference will automatically make the playoffs, while the teams ranked Nos. 7-10 will participate in the NBA Play-In Tournament over the course of four days.<\/p>\n

In each conference, the teams ranked Nos. 7 and 8 will play in the Play-In Tournament, with the winner moving on to play the No. 2 seed in each conference.<\/p>\n

The teams ranked Nos. 9 and 10 in each conference will play in a different Play-In Tournament game, with the loser being eliminated from playoff contention.<\/p>\n

The losers of the 7-8 games and the winners of the 9-10 games will then face off, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in each conference and moving on to play the conference’s No. 1 seed.<\/p>\n

From there, the playoffs will follow the usual bracket format, with each series being a best-of-7 format.<\/p>\n

MORE:Updated 2026 NBA mock draft<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBA standings 2026: Updated playoff bracket, clinching scenarios through April 4 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":697525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[679,7,75,103,920,909,306,559,188,1409,294,677,685,77,423,304,300,368,166,6,11,2550,671,302,179,114,681,211,474,573,604,308,1617,255,574,683],"class_list":{"0":"post-697524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-playoffs","8":"tag-76ers","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-bucks","12":"tag-bulls","13":"tag-cade-cunningham","14":"tag-cavaliers","15":"tag-clippers","16":"tag-detroit-pistons","17":"tag-eastern-conference","18":"tag-grizzlies","19":"tag-hawks","20":"tag-hornets","21":"tag-jayson-tatum","22":"tag-jazz","23":"tag-knicks","24":"tag-lakers","25":"tag-luka-doncic","26":"tag-mavericks","27":"tag-nba","28":"tag-nba-playoffs","29":"tag-nba-standings","30":"tag-nets","31":"tag-nuggets","32":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","33":"tag-pacers","34":"tag-raptors","35":"tag-rockets","36":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","37":"tag-stephen-curry","38":"tag-suns","39":"tag-timberwolves","40":"tag-trail-blazers","41":"tag-warriors","42":"tag-western-conference","43":"tag-wizards"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=697524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/697525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}