The 2025-26 NBA regular season is officially coming to a close, but no need to worry, playoff basketball is just around the corner.
The seeding races in both the East and the West are beginning to heat up, with play-in tournament and first-round matchups becoming clearer every day.
Five teams in the West have guaranteed their spots in the playoffs, with the Oklahoma City Thunder clinching the division for the third season in a row and on a quest to become the first repeat champions since 2018.
In the East, four teams have clinched a playoff berth, with the play-in picture still being decided in the last remaining days of the season.
Our NBA insiders broke down the biggest things to watch in the last few days of the regular season, including which postseason seeding races will come down to the wire, what last-minute award campaigning we should keep our eyes on and even what lottery-bound teams are doing in their last week of basketball.
What’s the most important thing left to be decided in the East playoff race?
The one thing that’s certain at the top of the East playoff picture is that the Detroit Pistons, despite losing Cade Cunningham for the final few weeks of the regular season with a collapsed lung, will finish with the top seed in the conference. After that? Good luck. The Boston Celtics are likely to wrap up the second spot, though they still have some work to do to officially lock it in. The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will likely go right down to the season’s final days before deciding who will finish third and fourth, respectively, and the Atlanta Hawks, the likely fifth-place finisher right now, will play a part in that.
Atlanta hosts New York on Monday, and then has a home-and-home with Cleveland on Wednesday and Friday. How those games play out will go a long way toward determining which team will face the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors are tied for the sixth and final spot in the East standings with four games to go — and with Toronto’s home loss to the Sacramento Kings looming large as a game that could prove costly by the end of next week. — Tim Bontemps
What’s the biggest question for the current East play-in teams?
Is there a potential play-in team that can make noise in the postseason? If the Charlotte Hornets end up in the play-in, they would be the most dangerous team that could come out of it. After a 16-28 start, the Hornets have been surging since January and have beaten the likes of the Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Boston. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are healthy and motivated. Kon Knueppel has been fearless and is a Rookie of the Year favorite.
Remember the Feb. 9 fight between the Hornets and Pistons? The Hornets surely still do. If Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung) isn’t back to full strength, the Hornets could be a first-round challenger. And if the Hornets face the Celtics, coach Charles Lee is very familiar with the Celtics as a former Boston assistant. The Hornets could be a tough out despite their lack of playoff experience, given how explosive and random their offense can be and how confident they’ve been since January. — Ohm Youngmisuk
What’s the most important thing left to be decided at the top of the West playoff race?
Can the Spurs catch the Thunder to claim the No. 1 seed? Oklahoma City’s lead is up to three games with four to play, but San Antonio has the season series tiebreaker and OKC’s next three games are on the road. The Spurs are a sizzling 27-3 since the start of February, but the defending champions have made it extremely difficult to make up any more ground. The Thunder are 17-1 since reigning (and likely repeating) MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an extended absence due to an abdominal strain.
The Denver Nuggets, tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed in the West, could have a significant say in whether the Thunder or Spurs land in the top spot. After defeating the Spurs in Saturday’s overtime thriller, Denver’s remaining schedule includes a home game against the Thunder on Friday and a season-ending visit to San Antonio on Sunday. — Tim MacMahon
What is the biggest question for the teams with the 3- to 6-seeds?
With Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) sidelined indefinitely and Austin Reaves (oblique injury) out for the remainder of the regular season, will L.A. be able to secure home-court advantage in the first round? Even if they are back for Game 1 of the opening round, will they be able to reestablish the rhythm and conditioning they had in the second half of the season? And will the seeding for the No. 5 Houston Rockets and the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves come down to their game against one another in Houston on April 10? — Dave McMenamin
What about the West play-in?
Does Stephen Curry‘s sudden availability alter the picture? It won’t shake up the standings. The Golden State Warriors are locked into the 10th slot. The Phoenix Suns look settled in the seventh slot. The Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers, meanwhile, are battling it out for eighth — and they face each other Friday night.
But Curry’s reappearance after a two-month absence generates a more fearsome version of the Warriors coming out of the bottom of the play-in bracket. If he can look anywhere near himself in the final week — and Kristaps Porzingis continues to be healthy and productive — the Warriors become a real contender to become the second 10th seed ever to muscle into the playoffs. If Curry is limited or forced out of the lineup due to his knee, the Warriors face a quick and quiet exit. — Anthony Slater
Which sidelined star most needs to return before his team starts playing in the postseason?
Cade Cunningham played just five minutes on March 17 before departing early, and he hasn’t played since, due to a collapsed lung. The Pistons clearly need him if they want to make their first deep playoff run since 2008.
However, one positive sign is that the Pistons haven’t missed a step in Cunningham’s absence, going 8-2 with a plus-11.9 net rating in that span. Both losses came in overtime. Detroit would be in great shape if its supporting cast keeps playing that well — with a healthy Cunningham back in the fold. — Zach Kram
What should fans of lottery-bound teams be paying attention to this week?
Expect a lot of losing from the teams that need to lose. Entering the week, Washington, Brooklyn and Indiana created a hair of separation for the bottom three spots and top odds — but there’s still more left to play out and a handful of remaining matchups with lottery implications.
The Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets play on Thursday — a game that someone has to win. Beyond that, the Kings and Utah Jazz, the trio of the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta (pick via New Orleans Pelicans) and Memphis Grizzlies, and the Chicago Bulls–Milwaukee Bucks pair are still sitting close in the standings. Every lotto combination matters to these teams, considering the quality of talent at the top of this draft class. — Jeremy Woo
Are there any awards still up for grabs, and if so, who can steal them in the final week?
This might go against conventional thinking, but I actually don’t think so. This does promise to be a year where the MVP award and Rookie of the Year will be closer than normal. However, Tim Bontemps’ polling suggests the electorate is widely leaning toward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kon Knueppel. (The race for top rookie did add some drama over the weekend, when Cooper Flagg scored 96 points across a historic two-game performance.) Even if the Spurs pass the Thunder for the top seed, Bontemps’ reliable projection suggests the margin is too great for Victor Wembanyama to pass SGA.
There are no other realistic MVP winners at this point. But Wembanyama, as long as he reaches 64 games played (plus NBA Cup game bonus), might win Defensive Player of the Year unanimously. Coach of the Year could have a varied vote, but J.B. Bickerstaff and Joe Mazzulla, the two strongest candidates, have their résumés set. Jalen Duren‘s tremendous production since Cade Cunningham went down has put him in a strong position for the Most Improved Player award. Keldon Johnson just went over 1,000 points off the bench for the Spurs and likely has the Sixth Man award cornered. — Brian Windhorst
How will the 65-game rule play a role in the last week?
There are still a handful of former award winners, including Nikola Jokic (62 games), Kawhi Leonard (61), Evan Mobley (62) and Pascal Siakam (62), who have yet to reach the minimum 65-game criteria to become eligible for postseason honors. Each has four games remaining.
Doncic will fall one game short due a hamstring strain that ended his regular season, but he can apply for an exception. Doncic missed two games for the birth of his daughter in December.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, this year’s favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA and in consideration for MVP, was not eligible last season but will reach the criteria Monday at home against Philadelphia.
Deni Avdija was named an All-Star for the first time and is a candidate for All-NBA, but he cannot miss a game in the last week to become eligible.
One name not on the list is Anthony Edwards. He was named to the All-NBA second team in 2024-25 but will not meet the 65-game rule despite being third in scoring this season. — Bobby Marks
Notable players already eligible: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Johnson, Jaylen Brown, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Kris Dunn, Bam Adebayo, Ryan Rollins, Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Tyrese Maxey, De’Aaron Fox, Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes.
