Blazers clinch No. 7
The Portland Trail Blazers secured the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed by winning their play‑in game, officially locking their place in the 2026 playoff bracket. (cbssports.com) That bracket now shifts focus to the remaining play‑in winners who will fill the final first‑round matchups ahead of the postseason schedule that leads into the June 3 Finals window on ABC. (espn.com)
Portland is back in the National Basketball Association playoffs after beating Phoenix 114-110 in the Western Conference 7-versus-8 play-in game on Tuesday night. (espn.com) Deni Avdija scored 41 points as the Trail Blazers erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in Phoenix to lock up the No. 7 seed. Portland had finished the regular season 42-40. (espn.com) The win sets a first-round series against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday, April 19, at 6 p.m. Eastern on National Broadcasting Company and Peacock. (espn.com) The National Basketball Association’s play-in format gives the seventh- and eighth-place teams two chances to claim a playoff berth, while the ninth- and 10th-place teams must win twice. Portland used the first of those chances and avoided a second elimination game. (nba.com) Phoenix did not get knocked out with the loss. The Suns dropped into the final Western Conference play-in game and will face Golden State on Friday for the No. 8 seed. (espn.com) Portland had not reached the playoffs since 2021, making this its first postseason berth in five years. The bracket on the National Basketball Association site now lists the Trail Blazers as the West’s No. 7 team. (espn.com) (nba.com) The rest of the Western Conference first round is already partly set: Denver will play Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Lakers will play Houston. Oklahoma City, the No. 1 seed at 64-18, is still waiting on the No. 8 winner. (espn.com) (nba.com) The postseason begins Saturday, April 18, and the National Basketball Association Finals are scheduled to start on June 3 on American Broadcasting Company. Portland’s place is settled now; one Western spot is not. (espn.com)
