Playoffs locked; Thunder top seed
The NBA playoff bracket is set: the play‑in tournament starts Tuesday, the full playoffs begin Saturday, and ESPN lists the Finals starting June 3 on ABC; Oklahoma City secured the West’s No. 1 seed for a third straight year. The final regular‑season day fixed seeds across both conferences, including the Nuggets at No. 3 and the Lakers at No. 4 in the West (espn.com) (usatoday.com).
The 2026 National Basketball Association playoff field is set, with the play-in tournament opening Tuesday, April 14, and the full bracket starting Saturday, April 18. (nba.com) Oklahoma City finished 64-18 and locked up the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed for a third straight year, while Detroit took the East’s top spot at 60-22. (espn.com) The final standings put San Antonio second in the West at 62-20, Denver third at 54-28, the Los Angeles Lakers fourth at 53-29, Houston fifth at 52-30, and Minnesota sixth at 49-33. (espn.com) In the East, Boston finished second at 56-26, New York third at 53-29, Cleveland fourth at 52-30, Toronto fifth at 46-36, and Atlanta sixth at 46-36. (espn.com) Teams seeded seventh through 10th do not go straight into the playoffs. They enter the play-in tournament, where one game decides the No. 7 seed and another elimination game helps decide the No. 8 seed. (nba.com) This year’s play-in matchups are already set: in the West, Phoenix hosts Portland in the 7-8 game and the Los Angeles Clippers host Golden State in the 9-10 game; in the East, Philadelphia hosts Orlando and Miami hosts Charlotte. (nba.com) Two first-round series are already locked in before the play-in ends: Cleveland will face Toronto, and New York will face Atlanta on Saturday, April 18. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are waiting for the West play-in winners, while Detroit and Boston are waiting in the East. (nba.com) The postseason is also the first National Basketball Association playoff run under the league’s new national media setup, with first-round games split among Prime Video, American Broadcasting Company, National Broadcasting Company, Peacock, and the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Game 1 of the National Basketball Association Finals is scheduled for June 3 on American Broadcasting Company, ending the regular season scramble and starting a two-month sprint through the bracket. (nba.com)
