2026 NBA playoff picture: Standings, tiebreakers, projections as 76ers get key win vs. Hornets
With the close of the regular season just two weeks away, here’s where everything stands in the NBA
By
Brad Botkin
Mar 29, 2026
at
9:53 am ET
•
3 min read
Getty Images
The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a big win on Saturday night. With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all back in the lineup, the Sixers beat the Hornets on the road. The East standings are incredibly bunched up with the Sixers, Hornets, Raptors, Hawks, Magic and Heat all trying to get out of the play-in and into the No. 5 and 6 seeds.
Elsewhere, the Celtics, Knicks and Lakers are on the verge of clinching playoff spots with two weeks left in the regular season. The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons are the only teams to have clinched a playoff spot so far.
The final day of the regular season will be on Sunday, April 12. Between now and then, we will be updating this playoff picture each day to keep you up to date on the standings, important magic numbers, all relevant tiebreakers and our SportsLine projections.
Here is where we stand entering play on Sunday, March 29.
*Tiebreaker note:All tiebreakers are included for teams currently within one game (or one seed) of each other, but will only be listed in the current higher seed’s section.