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

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.

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