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2026 NBA playoff picture: Standings, tiebreakers as Lakers try to hang onto No. 3 seed without Luka Dončić

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Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) are going to miss the rest of the regular season, which makes the Lakers’ fight for the No. 3 seed in the West a lot tougher. They have an effective two-game lead over the No. 4 Nuggets with the tiebreaker secured and five games to play. 

In the East, the Pistons are one win or one Boston loss from officially clinching the No. 1 seed. 

The final day of the regular season will be on Sunday, April 12. Between now and then, we will be updating this playoff picture each day to keep you up to date on the standings, important magic numbers, all relevant tiebreakers and our SportsLine projections. 

Here is where we stand entering play on Saturday, April 4. 

*Tiebreaker note: All tiebreakers are included for teams currently within one game (or one seed) of each other, but will only be listed in the current higher seed’s section.

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2026 NBA Playoff Picture

If the season ended today…

Play-In Tournament

East first round
No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 76ers
No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Hawks

West first round
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Timberwolves
No. 4 Nuggets vs. No. 5 Rockets

Western Conference standings

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (61-16)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Spurs: Spurs clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 1 seed

2. San Antonio Spurs (59-18)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 2 seed

3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-27)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Nuggets: Lakers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Lakers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Rockets: Lakers clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 3 seed

4. Denver Nuggets (49-28)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Rockets: Nuggets clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Nuggets clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 4 seed

5. Houston Rockets (48-29)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Tied with one game remaining
  • SportsLine projection: No. 6 seed

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (46-31)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 5 seed

7. Phoenix Suns (42-35)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Series tied 2-2, Suns hold because of division record
  • SportsLine projection: No. 7 seed

8. Portland Trail Blazers (40-38)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Clippers lead 2-1
  • Tiebreaker vs. Warriors: Blazers clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 8 seed

9. Los Angeles Clippers (39-38)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Warriors: Clippers lead 2-1
  • SportsLine projection: No. 9 seed

10. Golden State Warriors (36-41)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 10 seed

Eastern Conference standings

1. Detroit Pistons (56-21)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Celtics: Pistons clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 1 seed

2. Boston Celtics (52-25)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Knicks: Knicks lead 2-1
  • SportsLine projection: No. 2 seed

3. New York Knicks (50-28)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Cavaliers: Knicks clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 3 seed

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Raptors: Raptors clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 4 seed

5. Atlanta Hawks (45-33)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Raptors: Raptors clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. 76ers: Hawks clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 6 seed

6. Philadelphia 76ers (43-34)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Raptors: 76ers via division record
  • Tiebreaker vs. Hornets: 76ers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Magic: 76ers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Heat: Series tied 1-1
  • SportsLine projection: No. 7 seed

7. Toronto Raptors (43-34)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Hornets: Raptors via conference record
  • Tiebreaker vs. Magic: Raptors own
  • Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Raptors lead 2-0 (two to play)
  • SportsLine projection: No. 5 seed

8. Charlotte Hornets (42-36)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Magic: Hornets clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Heat: Heat clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 8 seed

9. Orlando Magic (41-36)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Heat: Magic clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 10 seed

10. Miami Heat (40-37)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 9 seed

Notable magic numbers

  • Pistons’ magic number to clinch East’s No. 1 seed: 1
  • Wolves’ magic number to clinch playoff spot: 2
  • Thunder’s magic number to clinch West’s No. 1 seed: 4
  • Hawks’ magic number to clinch playoff spot: 3

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FA Cup on Sportsnet: West Ham vs. Leeds

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Quarterfinal action of the FA Cup continues on Sunday when West Ham United takes on Leeds United. Catch the action on Sportsnet ONE or Sportsnet+ and follow every play with the live tracker.

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Dave Allen names ‘surprising’ heavyweight who ‘definitely’ hit him hardest: “Pure power”

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Fan-favourite heavyweight Dave Allen has sparred some of boxing’s best, but ‘The White Rhino’ admits that the man who hit him the hardest came as a ‘surprise’ to him.

This era of the heavyweight division has been governed for the most part by Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder, with Wilder hoping that he can return into heavyweight title contention with a victory over Derek Chisora on Saturday.

Of those names, Allen has sparred all apart from ‘The Bronze Bomber’, as well as a host of other top contenders in the division.

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However, on his YouTube channel, when it came to naming the man who hit him the hardest, Allen claimed that Chisora was the biggest puncher that he has faced, much to his surprise.

“I sparred Derek Chisora before the Lucas Browne fight, so probably seven years ago to the week actually. He weren’t in the best shape, I don’t think, and I was fit and I sparred really well.

“But, he hit really hard. I thought he was the powerful puncher that I have ever been in with, just for pure power. Luckily, I could see him coming, because they were wide shots and they were coming from pretty far back and I could brace for them and take a bit off of them.

“In terms of power, he was definitely the biggest puncher that I ever sparred with, really, really heavy-handed. It surprised me because I didn’t think he was a big puncher. I had been watching him and, technically, I thought he didn’t look like he would be a big puncher.”

Chisora will hope to find some of that devastating power when he faces Wilder at the O2 Arena tonight. The Brit says he will retire win, lose or draw, but his 50-fight campaign would be remembered much more favourably if he called time after stopping one of his generation’s biggest names.

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Allen returns to action on home soil in Doncaster against Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, May 16.

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Taylor Fritz & girlfriend Morgan Riddle have broken up, tennis insider makes wild relationship claim

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Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle have been a tennis power couple for over half a decade. The two had begun dating in June 2020, but if latest reports are to be believed, they have parted ways after a nearly six-year long relationship.

Tennis insider Craig Shapiro, who hosts an eponymous podcast, on Sunday took to social media to share the news. As per the post on X, he said “reliable sources” had confirmed the break-up to him.

“Reliable sources telling me Fritz and Moorgs are no mas,” The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast wrote on X.

Fans reacting to the post took note of Riddle’s absence from some of the more recent matches featuring Fritz. The social media influencer was otherwise a regular feature in the player’s box, cheering her boyfriend on at major events throughout the tennis season.

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Even though, Riddle and Fritz began dating back in 2020, they did not go public with their relationship until a couple of years later. They have since been spotted at multiple events together even outside of tennis, featured on magazine covers and are frequently seen on each others’ social media handles.


Morgan Riddle credited boyfriend Taylor Fritz for getting her into fashion

Morgan Riddle supports Taylor Fritz from the stands at the 2026 Australian Open. (Source: Getty)Morgan Riddle supports Taylor Fritz from the stands at the 2026 Australian Open. (Source: Getty)
Morgan Riddle supports Taylor Fritz from the stands at the 2026 Australian Open. (Source: Getty)

Morgan Riddle had in an interview with Vogue magazine opened up about her relationship with Taylor Fritz. The social media influencer revealed that she was in fact a very person th first couple of years that she was with the Ameican tennis star.

Before taking on the role of a social media influencer, she worked for non-profit organizations. She even credited Fritz with pushing her into fashion, which has become a big part of her brand today.

“I was very private for the first two years of our relationship,” Morgan Riddle told Vogue in 2025. Work played a large role in her decision. “I was working in nonprofits for children in hospitals.”

“When I met him, I literally did not know one designer. He was like, ‘We’ve got to get you drip,’” she continued.

Riddle also spoke about some of the challenges that come with having a social media presence, especially for those clubbed under the tennis “groupie” label. She said she likes to keep a distance from negativity, has matured over the years and can handle it a lot better now.

“I have friends who have been on YouTube since they were 15 years old. It was kind of nice to have an introduction to it once I was mature and felt like I had a better head on my shoulders,” Morgan Riddle said.

“There’s still a lot of negativity around it, and I know that because I see misogynist comments—always from idiot men,” Morgan Riddle said. “I do think there’s more visibility on what girls are doing outside of just attending their partners’ matches.”

Fritz last played at the Sunshine Double on home soil. He has chosen to delay his start to the clay season, skipping the Monte-Carlo Masters. He will next feature at the clay event in Munich a fortnight later.

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