With less than two weeks left to play in the 2025-26 regular season, teams are in the midst of heated battles in the standings ahead of the start of the NBA playoffs on April 18.
The top six teams in each conference will earn an outright playoff berth at the conclusion of the regular season. The next four teams will compete in the play-in tournament on April 14-17 for the last two seeds in each conference, respectively.
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After 10 teams were eliminated from contention, the 20 bound for the postseason are locked in, either via a playoff berth or a spot in the play-in tournament. The action is set to heat up as teams battle for positioning in the standings down the stretch.
Six games are scheduled for Thursday, with several key matchups and a couple of clinching scenarios to monitor throughout the evening.
What are the matchups on Thursday?
Action packed 6-game Thursday slate 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2026
🏀 #1 East DET host #6 West MIN
🏀 #1 in PPG Luka Dončić and LAL face #2 SGA and OKC
🏀 SAS seek 27th win in 29 games, vs. LAC pic.twitter.com/yDAFEvGRnx
Playoff Picture
NBA STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2026
▪️ SAS (#2 in West) wins 10th straight
▪️ DEN (#4 in West) wins 7th straight
▪️ HOU rises to #5 in West, wins 4th straight
▪️ ATL (#5 in East) wins 3rd straight
▪️ PHI rises to #6 in East pic.twitter.com/z7RaA8SdPl
Which teams have clinched a playoff berth?
Western Conference:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (60-16)
- San Antonio Spurs (58-18)
- Los Angeles Lakers (50-26)
- Denver Nuggets (49-28)
Eastern Conference:
- Detroit Pistons (55-21)
- Boston Celtics (51-25)
- New York Knicks (49-28)
Which teams have been eliminated from postseason contention?
Western Conference:
- New Orleans Pelicans (25-51)
- Memphis Grizzlies (25-51)
- Dallas Mavericks (24-52)
- Utah Jazz (21-56)
- Sacramento Kings (20-57)
Eastern Conference:
- Milwaukee Bucks (30-46)
- Chicago Bulls (29-47)
- Indiana Pacers (18-58)
- Brooklyn Nets (18-58)
- Washington Wizards (17-59)
Western Conference Scenarios
- The Rockets can clinch a playoff berth with a loss by the Suns
Eastern Conference Scenarios
- The Cavaliers can clinch a playoff berth with a win
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: 2026 NBA Playoffs: Clinching scenarios and standings on April 2