The NBA postseason is rapidly approaching, with less than two weeks remaining in the 2025-26 regular season.
While all postseason berths have been clinched, teams are furiously jockeying for playoff positioning, especially those seeking to remain above the fray of the Play-In Tournament. That’s especially true in the Eastern Conference, where only four games separate the current No. 5 seed, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Miami Heat, currently No. 10.
In the Western Conference, all three divisions have been clinched, with the Oklahoma City Thunder claiming the Northwest, the San Antonio Spurs the Southwest and the Los Angeles Lakers the Pacific. But perhaps the most intriguing story as the regular season winds down is whether the Spurs can catch the Thunder for the top seed in the West.
Heading into the slate of April 2 games, the Cleveland Cavaliers, currently the No. 4 team in the East, can clinch a playoff spot with a win, while the Houston Rockets, currently the No. 5 team in the West, can clinch a playoff berth if the Phoenix Suns lose.
Here are the current brackets for the playoffs and the Play-In Tournament, the NBA standings and the schedule for Thursday, April 2:
NBA schedule for Thursday, April 2
(All times Eastern)
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Phoenix Suns at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
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Minnesota Timberwolves at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m.
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Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m.
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New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.
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San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m.
NBA standings
All 20 teams – 10 in each conference – that will participate in the postseason have been determined. Here are their records through April 1, and what each of those teams have clinched so far (x-clinched playoff berth; d-clinched division):
Eastern Conference
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(1) d-Detroit Pistons: 55-21
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(2) x-Boston Celtics: 51-25 (4 GB)
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(3) x-New York Knicks: 49-28 (6.5 GB)
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(4) Cleveland Cavaliers: 47-29 (8 GB)
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(5) Atlanta Hawks: 44-33 (11.5 GB)
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(6) Philadelphia 76ers: 42-34 (13 GB)
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(7) Toronto Raptors: 42-34 (13 GB)
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(8) Charlotte Hornets: 40-36 (15 GB)
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(9) Orlando Magic: 40-36 (15 GB)
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(10) Miami Heat: 40-37(15.5 GB)
Western Conference
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(1) d-Oklahoma City Thunder: 60-16
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(2) d-San Antonio Spurs: 58-18 (2 GB)
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(3) d-Los Angeles Lakers: 50-26 (10 GB)
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(4) x-Denver Nuggets: 49-28 (11.5 GB)
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(5) Houston Rockets: 47-29 (13 GB)
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(6) Minnesota Timberwolves: 46-29 (13.5 GB)
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(7) Phoenix Suns: 42-34 (18 GB)
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(8) Los Angeles Clippers: 39-37 (21 GB)
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(9) Portland Trail Blazers: 39-38 (21.5 GB)
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(10) Golden State Warriors: 36-40 (24 GB)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) as he drives to the basket during their game on March 31, 2026.
NBA playoffs bracket
(After games played on April 1)
Eastern Conference
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(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Play-In Winner
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(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
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(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
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(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner
Western Conference
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(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner
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(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Houston Rockets
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(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
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(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-In Winner
NBA Play-In Tournament
(After games played on April 1)
Western Conference
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(7) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) LA Clippers
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(9) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (10) Golden State Warriors
Eastern Conference
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(7) Toronto Raptors vs. (8) Charlotte Hornets
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(9) Orlando Magic vs. (10) Miami Heat
When do the NBA playoffs begin?
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The NBA Play-In Tournament begins on Tuesday, April 14 and runs through Friday, April 17.
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The NBA playoffs start Saturday, April 18 and feature eight teams in each conference after teams are eliminated in the Play-In Tournament.
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Game 1 of the NBA Finals scheduled for Wednesday, June 3.
Which NBA teams have been eliminated from the playoffs?
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoff bracket, standings, schedule, current postseason matchups
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