NBA Playoff Picture 2026-27
The 2026-27 NBA playoff picture if the season ended today: seeds 1 to 6 in each conference go straight to the playoffs, seeds 7 to 10 play the Play-In Tournament for the last two places, and everyone else is chasing 10th. East: Atlanta Hawks (0-0) lead; Play-In: Pistons, Pacers, Heat, Bucks. West: Dallas Mavericks (0-0) lead; Play-In: Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Thunder.
East Playoff Picture
If the season ended today · last spot: Indiana Pacers (0-0)
Atlanta HawksSoutheast · No. 1 seed0-002
Boston CelticsAtlantic · Top six0-003
Brooklyn NetsAtlantic · Top six0-004
Charlotte HornetsSoutheast · Top six0-005
Chicago BullsCentral · Top six0-006
Cleveland CavaliersCentral · Top six0-007
Detroit PistonsCentral · Play-In0-008
Indiana PacersCentral · Play-In0-009
Miami HeatSoutheast · Play-In0-0010
Milwaukee BucksCentral · Play-In0-00–
New York KnicksAtlantic · Tied for last spot0-00–
Orlando MagicSoutheast · Tied for last spot0-00–
Philadelphia 76ersAtlantic · Tied for last spot0-00–
Toronto RaptorsAtlantic · Tied for last spot0-00–
Washington WizardsSoutheast · Tied for last spot0-00| Seed | Team | W-L | Diff | Strk | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta HawksSoutheast | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | No. 1 seed | |
| 2 | Boston CelticsAtlantic | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 3 | Brooklyn NetsAtlantic | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 4 | Charlotte HornetsSoutheast | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 5 | Chicago BullsCentral | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 6 | Cleveland CavaliersCentral | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 7 | Detroit PistonsCentral | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| 8 | Indiana PacersCentral | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| 9 | Miami HeatSoutheast | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| 10 | Milwaukee BucksCentral | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| New York KnicksAtlantic | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| Orlando MagicSoutheast | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| Philadelphia 76ersAtlantic | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| Toronto RaptorsAtlantic | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| Washington WizardsSoutheast | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot |
East clinch watch
Any combination of that many wins and losses by the 11th-place team (New York Knicks) clinches at least a Play-In spot.
Hawks 0-0Celtics 0-0Nets 0-0Hornets 0-0Bulls 0-0Cavaliers 0-0East bubble
Knicks0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftMagic0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 left76ers0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftRaptors0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftWizards0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftWest Playoff Picture
If the season ended today · last spot: Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0)
Dallas MavericksSouthwest · No. 1 seed0-002
Denver NuggetsNorthwest · Top six0-003
Golden State WarriorsPacific · Top six0-004
Houston RocketsSouthwest · Top six0-005
Los Angeles ClippersPacific · Top six0-006
Los Angeles LakersPacific · Top six0-007
Memphis GrizzliesSouthwest · Play-In0-008
Minnesota TimberwolvesNorthwest · Play-In0-009
New Orleans PelicansSouthwest · Play-In0-0010
Oklahoma City ThunderNorthwest · Play-In0-00–
Phoenix SunsPacific · Tied for last spot0-00–
Portland Trail BlazersNorthwest · Tied for last spot0-00–
Sacramento KingsPacific · Tied for last spot0-00–
San Antonio SpursSouthwest · Tied for last spot0-00–
Utah JazzNorthwest · Tied for last spot0-00| Seed | Team | W-L | Diff | Strk | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas MavericksSouthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | No. 1 seed | |
| 2 | Denver NuggetsNorthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 3 | Golden State WarriorsPacific | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 4 | Houston RocketsSouthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 5 | Los Angeles ClippersPacific | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 6 | Los Angeles LakersPacific | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Top six | |
| 7 | Memphis GrizzliesSouthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| 8 | Minnesota TimberwolvesNorthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| 9 | New Orleans PelicansSouthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| 10 | Oklahoma City ThunderNorthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | Play-In | |
| Phoenix SunsPacific | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| Portland Trail BlazersNorthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| Sacramento KingsPacific | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| San Antonio SpursSouthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot | ||
| Utah JazzNorthwest | 0-0 | 0 | 82 | In the hunt · tied for last spot |
West clinch watch
Any combination of that many wins and losses by the 11th-place team (Phoenix Suns) clinches at least a Play-In spot.
Mavericks 0-0Nuggets 0-0Warriors 0-0Rockets 0-0Clippers 0-0Lakers 0-0West bubble
Suns0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftTrail Blazers0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftKings0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftSpurs0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftJazz0-0 · tied for last spot · 82 leftDivision Races
Seeds 1-6 qualify directly · 7-10 Play-In Tournament · 11-15 out · Seeded by record; division titles do not guarantee a seed · Clinch/eliminated flags use games remaining, not the full tiebreaker list.
How the NBA Playoff Picture Is Calculated
Teams are ranked 1 to 15 in each conference by record; division titles do not guarantee a seed. Seeds 1 to 6 go straight to the playoffs and seeds 7 to 10 play the Play-In Tournament for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. A team is marked clinched when no result can drop it out of the top six, and eliminated when it can no longer catch the last spot. Magic numbers count the wins and rival losses still needed. Tiebreakers follow the league order.
The NBA playoff picture is recalculated after every game from the full standings, so seeds, magic numbers and games back are always current. Check the tiebreaker rules for how close races are settled, and the projected bracket to see what today’s seeds would produce.
NBA playoff picture FAQ
Which East teams are in the Play-In?
No. 7 Detroit Pistons (0-0), No. 8 Indiana Pacers (0-0), No. 9 Miami Heat (0-0), No. 10 Milwaukee Bucks (0-0).
How close is the East race for sixth?
The Cleveland Cavaliers hold sixth at 0-0, 0 games ahead of the Detroit Pistons, the first Play-In team.
Which West teams are in the Play-In?
No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies (0-0), No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0), No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans (0-0), No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0).
How close is the West race for sixth?
The Los Angeles Lakers hold sixth at 0-0, 0 games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, the first Play-In team.
How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?
In each conference No. 7 hosts No. 8 (the winner is the No. 7 seed) and No. 9 hosts No. 10 (the loser is out). The loser of 7 v 8 then hosts the winner of 9 v 10, and that winner is the No. 8 seed. Every Play-In game is a single game.
Do division winners get a top seed?
No. Since 2015-16 seeds go purely by record within the conference; winning the division only matters as a tiebreaker.
How are ties in the NBA standings broken?
Head-to-head record first, then division winner over non-winner, division record (same division only), conference record, record against playoff teams in the own conference, then the other conference, then point differential.
How many teams make the NBA playoffs?
16 teams play in the playoff bracket, eight per conference, and 20 reach the postseason: seeds 1 to 6 qualify directly and seeds 7 to 10 play the Play-In Tournament for the last two places.