With the 2025-26 NBA regular playoff season starting today, the postseason bracket is still far from settled. 15 teams are scheduled to play Today, making it one of the most consequential single nights of the entire season. For some franchises, winning means clinching a division title or locking up home court advantage. For others, it means simply surviving.
Where things stand right now
The Western Conference has largely sorted itself out. Five teams have already confirmed their playoff and play-in positions, leaving the bracket’s final details to be resolved over the weekend. The Eastern Conference is a different story. Of all the teams in the East, only the Detroit Pistons have officially locked up a playoff spot, entering the final stretch as the conference’s top seed.
As the postseason began today, the Western Conference bracket would open with the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 1, followed by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 2, the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the three-six matchup, and the Los Angeles Lakers facing the Houston Rockets at four versus five. The play-in round would feature the Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Clippers at seven and eight, with the Portland Trail Blazers taking on the Golden State Warriors at nine and ten.
In the East, Detroit leads as the top seed, with the Boston Celtics at No. 2 and the New York Knicks at No. 3. The Cleveland Cavaliers hold the four seed against the Toronto Raptors at five, while the Atlanta Hawks sit at six. The play-in round would pit the Orlando Magic against the Philadelphia 76ers at seven and eight, and the Charlotte Hornets against the Miami Heat at nine and ten.
The playoff teams with the most to gain
Atlanta enters Today with a legitimate shot at both a playoff berth and the Southeast Division title. A win over Cleveland seals it outright. Failing that, the Hawks would need losses from both Orlando and Charlotte to clinch without winning their own game.
Boston is one win away from the Atlantic Division title. A victory against New Orleans does it cleanly. A Knicks loss to Toronto would also get the job done without the Celtics needing to play perfectly.
Toronto sits in one of the more interesting spots in the East. The Raptors can clinch a playoff spot outright with a win over New York, which would also knock the Knicks down in the standings. Without a win, Toronto needs losses from Orlando, Philadelphia and Charlotte all falling their way simultaneously.
Teams fighting to stay alive at the playoff
Charlotte and Orlando are each trying to lock in their play-in positions rather than risk sliding further down. Both teams benefit from a loss on Friday night, which sounds counterintuitive but reflects how tightly grouped the bottom of the Eastern bracket has become. Each would also benefit from Toronto beating New York and Atlanta beating Cleveland at the same time.
Philadelphia is in a similar holding pattern. A loss to Indiana combined with a Toronto win over New York would secure the 76ers a play-in spot regardless of what else happens around the league.
What Today means
The final weekend of the regular season rarely produces this many meaningful games across both conferences simultaneously. With home court seeding, division titles and play-in survival all on the line at once, Tonight functions less like a regular-season closing act and more like a first round of its own.
The teams that handle the pressure cleanly will enter the postseason with momentum. The ones that stumble could find themselves facing a brutal play-in bracket with nothing to show for 79 games of work.
