There’s movement afoot in the NBA standings, and that’s notable with just over five weeks remaining in the 2025-26 regular season and so many teams already in tank mode.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons remain entrenched atop their respective conferences, but the teams jockeying for playoff seeding beneath them have turned into this into a race worth monitoring with so little time left before the postseason starts.
Advertisement
Over the past week, the Minnesota Timberwolves have surged past the Denver Nuggets into the top four of the Western Conference and could soon pass the Houston Rockets for the No. 3 seed. Including the Los Angeles Lakers, there are four teams out west duking it out for the chance to have home-court advantage in a first-round playoff series. The top four in the Eastern Conference is more entrenched, with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers likely to join the Pistons barring a poor close to the regular season.
But how those teams shake out in terms of seeding could have a profound effect on later rounds in the playoffs and matchups. The seeding for the play-in tournament is also a dynamic situation, although there isn’t currently much drama regarding the four play-in teams in the Eastern or Western Conferences due to the tanking dynamics at play.
Here’s a breakdown of the current NBA playoff picture, including what teams would make the postseason if the regular season ended today:
NBA ROOKIE RANKINGS: Kon Knueppel now favored over Cooper Flagg for ROY award
Advertisement
NBA playoff bracket
Records and standings through games played on Wednesday, March 4:
Eastern Conference
-
Cleveland Cavaliers (39-24)
Western Conference
-
San Antonio Spurs (44-17)
-
Golden State Warriors (31-30)
-
Los Angeles Clippers (30-31)
-
Portland Trail Blazers (30-33)
When does NBA regular season end?
The final day of the regular season is Sunday, April 12.
When is NBA play-in tournament?
The NBA play-in tournament will begin Tuesday, April 14 and conclude Friday, April 17.
How does NBA play-in tournament work?
The tournament is divided into two rounds for each conference:
Round 1
-
Game 1: No. 7 seed vs. No. 8 seed
-
Game 2: No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed
The No. 7 and No. 9 seeds play at home in the first round. The winner of Game 1 secures the No. 7 seed in their respective conference playoff bracket. The loser of Game 1 continues to the second round and hosts the winner of Game 2. The loser of Game 2 is eliminated from playoff contention.
Advertisement
Round 2
-
Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 winner
The winner of this game secures the No. 8 and final seed in the playoffs. The loser is eliminated from playoff contention.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA playoffs bracket if regular season ended today