As the 2025-26 regular season winds down, three teams have already booked their place in the postseason.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were the first team to secure a spot in the playoffs. Last night, the San Antonio Spurs secured their playoff spot with a thrilling Victor Wembanyama buzzer-beater against the Phoenix Suns, concluding a seven-year absence from the postseason. The Detroit Pistons, meanwhile, are the first team in the Eastern Conference to officially lock in a spot, clinching Friday night despite playing without their star, Cade Cunningham.

With around 11 games left to play for most teams, the playoff bracket is taking shape, and in the coming weeks, several teams will secure playoff berths. But for now, the rest of the league is either fighting for positioning, scrambling for survival or in some cases, doing both simultaneously.

Walkthrough: What if the Playoffs Started Today?

Play-In Tournament

Eastern Conference

East Play-In: Philadelphia vs. Charlotte (9 vs. 10)

The Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets will square off as the last two seeds in the play-in tournament for the East. The Sixers, at 38-32, have been a team in perpetual limbo all season, and there is no timeline yet on whether they will have Joel Embiid and Paul George, two of their experienced players, in time for the play-in.

For the Hornets, they haven’t made the postseason in 10 years, and the fact that they are close to one is due to a massive improvement, driven by the sharpshooting prowess of Kon Knueppel, who has broken the record for most threes by a rookie. They are in pole position to go past the play-in.

East Play-In: Atlanta vs. Miami (7 vs. 8)

The Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks are deadlocked at 38-32, which means the team that will be at home in this tie could still change. However, if the playoffs started today, that honor would fall to the Hawks. Jalen Johnson is making a compelling case as one of the East’s most improved players, as Atlanta has emerged as a genuine dark-horse story this season.

For the Heat, they have been a postseason regular and will look to go deep this year under the tutelage of Eric Spoelstra, who has a strong playoff pedigree.

Western Conference

West Play-In: Portland vs. Golden State (9 vs. 10)

After weeks of poor results, the Golden State Warriors have been toppled by the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 9 seed in the West. Portland sits at 35-36 and Golden State sits at 33-37, and despite the Blazers’ lack of experience at this stage, this tie may not feel as uncomfortable as it looks for Warriors fans. With Jimmy Butler out for the season and Steph Curry still not yet back, the Warriors may end up looking at yet another play-in disappointment this year.

West Play-In: Phoenix vs. LA Clippers (7 vs. 8)

The Suns are No. 7 and have certainly held their own this season, even though they were just dealt a painful blow when Wembanyama hit a go-ahead jumper with one second remaining Thursday. The Clippers, meanwhile, have Kawhi Leonard, who, when healthy, is still one of the three best two-way players on the planet. The catch, as always, is that “when healthy” caveat. If Leonard can hold up physically through a play-in game, Los Angeles is more dangerous than their record suggests.

Main Playoff Bracket

Eastern Conference First Round

Cleveland (4) vs. Toronto (5)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the No. 4 seed, which could be a blessing in disguise because at this stage last year they were No. 1, and everyone knows how it all ended. They will face the Toronto Raptors in the current bracket, a team that has seemingly come out of nowhere to be the No. 5 seed in the East. It promises to be a physical, grinding series, with the Cavs having Donovan Mitchell, who remains one of the East’s premier scorers. They also added James Harden at the trade deadline to bring much-needed playoff experience and depth.

New York (3) vs. Orlando (6)

For the New York Knicks, a playoff tie against the Orlando Magic should be a manageable path. However, it is never easy at this stage. The Knicks have a legitimate superstar in Jalen Brunson and a competitive core. Brunson has proven repeatedly that he rises in high-stakes moments after leading them to the conference finals last year. Orlando is a team that won’t be embarrassed, but this Knicks squad is deeper and more battle-tested than their recent playoff editions. Also, back-to-back first round exits don’t help Orlando’s cause.

Boston (2) vs. 7-Seed Play-In Winner

The Boston Celtics will almost certainly be the next team to clinch a playoff berth in the East. Jayson Tatum’s return aligns well with a deep playoff push. Boston has re-established itself as a force this season after last year’s disappointing finish, and it enters the bracket in a position many expected. With a play-in opponent, this is the time to get right.

Whoever emerges from the 7 vs. 8 game, be it Miami or Atlanta, will face a formidable challenge. The Celtics are still in pole position to finish as the top seed in the East, and the coming weeks will be telling.

Detroit (1) vs. 8-Seed Play-In Winner

No one saw the Pistons clinching a playoff spot at this stage, much less doing so as the No. 1 seed in the East. It is truly a remarkable feat for a franchise that not long ago set the record for consecutive losses. Led by Cunningham, who is having an MVP-caliber season, they have become one of the great organizational turnarounds in recent NBA history.

However, Cunningham has been ruled out for at least two weeks with a collapsed left lung. The team is optimistic he will return for the postseason, but there are no guarantees. Without their engine, the Pistons have shown resilience with the likes of Jalen Duren stepping up, but the depth of this team will be truly tested, and their top seed could be under threat from Boston and New York.

Western Conference First Round

Minnesota (4) vs. Houston (5)

This is a first-round matchup that deserves to be in the second round. The Minnesota Timberwolves enter with a bit of playoff pedigree, having made the conference finals in back-to-back years. They have Anthony Edwards, who is always explosive at this stage of the season, and few teams can match them when the playoff intensity rises.

For the Rockets, they brought in Kevin Durant this season and held onto the No. 3 seed in the West until recently after a poor run of form. What they have now is what they desperately lacked last year when they fell to Golden State in the first round. Fred VanVleet has been absent all season after an ACL tear in preseason, which has been a significant loss in the backcourt, but Amen Thompson has stepped into a starting role and held his own. Alperen Sengun is also key if they are to get past the first round this time around.

LA Lakers (3) vs. Denver Nuggets (6)

For most of last month, it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers’ direct playoff spot might hang in the balance. However, an incredible March, which has included a run of eight consecutive wins, has seen the Lakers climb to No. 3. Their reward is a mouthwatering matchup with the Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic.

It hasn’t been the cleanest of years for Jokic, who has slipped down the MVP ladder, and the Nuggets have dealt with key injuries all season, including Aaron Gordon, who is still managing minutes. For the Lakers, they have Doncic, who is leading the league in scoring and has climbed to No. 2 in the MVP race after an incredible March in which he is averaging 37.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists.

There is also the LeBron James factor for the Lakers. He may be 41, but he is still a valuable asset in the postseason. L.A. holds the head-to-head this season after two wins in three meetings, which may prove to be a critical factor later on.

San Antonio (2) vs. 7-Seed Play-In Winner

Fans will get to see Wembanyama in the playoffs for the first time. It has been a long time coming, as it will be their first playoff appearance since 2019. That winning shot from the French superstar to beat Phoenix is a fitting moment for a franchise that ran on Gregg Popovich’s brilliance for two decades to re-enter the postseason conversation.

That Suns game caps a strong stretch for Wembanyama, who is averaging 28.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals over his last five games, form the No. 2 Spurs will hope to carry into the playoffs. Still only 22, he will be San Antonio’s key to making a deep run and possibly coming out of the West.

Oklahoma City (1) vs. 8-Seed Play-In Winner

The Thunder are the team to beat this season, not just because they are the defending champions or the No. 1 seed, but because they have been the most consistent team all season. They have the league’s top-rated defense, ranked first in defensive rating at 107.5, and their net rating of plus-11.0 leads all teams. In fact, no team has reached double digits in net rating.

They are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the reigning MVP and Finals MVP and also the frontrunner for this season’s award. Their core is also full of depth. In today’s NBA, depth has become king. Oklahoma City’s ability to rely on eight or nine players during the postseason gives them an edge when most teams shorten their rotation.

How The Playoff Bracket Will Shape Out Over the Final Weeks

With less than a dozen games left in the regular season, these playoff positions will no doubt shift, and momentum may swing depending on who is available when the playoffs begin.

In the East, it is tight, as the gap between the No. 5 seed Raptors and the Hornets, who occupy the last play-in spot, is just three games. There is a bit more separation in the West’s direct playoff spots; however, the No. 3 Lakers are separated from the No. 6 Timberwolves by just three games.

For the top two seeded teams from each conference, they will have to wait for the conclusion of the play-in tournament to know who they will face in the first round. They will remain favorites no matter their opponent; however, as history has shown, upsets are always possible in the playoffs.

This current bracket has six teams that didn’t make the play-in or playoff spots last year, which promises to add extra excitement to the postseason.

Teams like the San Antonio Spurs have gone from missing the playoffs entirely to having a legitimate case as contenders. But they will have to navigate a tough conference that includes the defending champions.

For the Thunder, they will look to become the first repeat champion since 2018. Time will tell whether the bracket holds or shifts entirely as the third week of April approaches.