NBA playoff watch: Hawks look to remain red hot

March 27, 2026 No Comments

NBA playoff watch: Hawks look to remain red hotESPN staffMar 27, 2026, 06:38 AM ETMultiple Authors

There is a 10-game slate of NBA games Friday, but only two feature a pair of teams in the postseason picture. Fresh off a win against the East-leading Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks take on the Boston Celtics, looking to continue their climb up the conference standings. Winners of 14 of their past 15 games, the Hawks have moved into fifth place in the East. Just ahead of them are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who play host to a Miami Heat team that is moving in the opposite direction. Miami had lost five straight before Wednesday’s win in Cleveland, falling to 10th in the East, but still within striking distance of a top-six spot.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers return home from their successful East trip, looking to put more cushion between themselves and the teams behind them in the standings. Luka Doncic & Co. welcome the dismal Brooklyn Nets to Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers have won nine of their past 10 games to move 1½ games ahead of the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic’s squad faces the 21-52 Utah Jazz on Friday.

Here’s a look at the current and projected NBA playoff picture, the most important games left in the regular season and how the race for the No. 1 pick in June’s draft is shaping up:

Jump to a section:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule | Thursday’s scores
<!– Clinching scenarios | –>Critical remaining games
Projected standings | Race for No. 1 pick

Current NBA playoff matchups

Eastern Conference playoffs

1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Toronto Raptors
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Atlanta Hawks

Eastern Conference play-in

7. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Orlando Magic
9. Charlotte Hornets vs. 10. Miami Heat
Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10

Western Conference playoffs

1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 6. Houston Rockets
4. Denver Nuggets vs. 5. Minnesota Timberwolves

Western Conference play-in

7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. LA Clippers
9. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 10. Golden State Warriors
Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10

Full standings and playoff matchups
Odds to win the NBA Finals
ESPN BPI’s playoff projections

NBA Playoff Challenge

Pick the winners and crown your NBA champion! Create A Bracket

Friday’s games

LA Clippers at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET
Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Houston Rockets at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
Chicago Bulls at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m. ET
New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors, 8:30 p.m. ET
Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET
Washington Wizards at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET
Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET
Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET

Full upcoming schedule

Thursday’s scores

Hornets 114, Knicks 103
Pistons 129, Pelicans 108
Magic 121, Kings 117

Full NBA scoreboard

Most important games left

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Clinching scenarios

The Knicks would clinch a playoff spot with a win Thursday night.

Who has clinched so far?

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Projected end-of-season standings

Projected Eastern Conference StandingsSeedTeamProjected Final Record1Detroit Pistons 58-24 2 Boston Celtics 54-28 3 New York Knicks 53-29 4 Cleveland Cavaliers 52-30 5 Atlanta Hawks 46-36 6 Toronto Raptors 45-37 7 Philadelphia 76ers 45-37 8 Charlotte Hornets 44-38 9 Miami Heat 44-38 10 Orlando Magic 44-38 11 Milwaukee Bucks 33-49 12 Chicago Bulls 33-49 13 Brooklyn Nets 20-62 14 Washington Wizards 19-63 15 Indiana Pacers 19-63 Projections via ESPN’s Basketball Power Index

Projected Western Conference StandingsSeedTeamProjected Final Record1Oklahoma City Thunder 64-18 2 San Antonio Spurs 61-21 3 Los Angeles Lakers 53-29 4 Denver Nuggets 51-31 5 Minnesota Timberwolves 50-32 6 Houston Rockets 49-33 7 Phoenix Suns 45-37 8 LA Clippers 43-39 9 Portland Trail Blazers 41-41 10 Golden State Warriors 40-42 11 New Orleans Pelicans 29-53 12 Memphis Grizzlies 28-54 13 Dallas Mavericks 26-56 14 Utah Jazz 22-60 15 Sacramento Kings 21-61 Projections via ESPN’s Basketball Power Index

Current NBA standings

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first four picks. All 14 teams that fail to make the playoffs are eligible to move up to the top four. After the order of the top four picks is set via the draw, the remainder of the first round is set in inverse order of the teams’ regular-season records. The three teams with the worst records each have an equal 14% chance of winning the lottery, with the odds for the non-playoff teams decreasing from there.

Among the projected lottery teams, there are multiple trades that could impact picks. The Atlanta Hawks will get the better of the picks from the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks, with the lesser of the two picks going to Milwaukee. If the Indiana Pacers’ pick falls between five and nine, it will go to the LA Clippers. The Utah Jazz will send their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside the top eight.

The Portland Trail Blazers will send their pick to the Chicago Bulls if it falls outside the lottery (if they make the playoffs through the play-in tournament). The Washington Wizards’ pick is top-eight protected, and the probability of their selection ending up ninth or worse is extremely low.

Projected 2026 Lottery OrderNo.TeamCurrent RecordChance ForNo. 1 Pick1Indiana Pacers 16-57 14% 2 Brooklyn Nets 17-56 14% 3 Washington Wizards 17-55 14% 4 Sacramento Kings 19-54 12.5% 5 Utah Jazz 21-52 10.5% 6 Dallas Mavericks 23-50 9% 7 Memphis Grizzlies 24-48 7.5% 8 New Orleans Pelicans* 25-48 6% 9 Milwaukee Bucks 29-43 4.5% 10 Chicago Bulls 29-43 3% 11 Golden State Warriors 35-38 2% 12 Portland Trail Blazers 37-37 1.5% 13 Orlando Magic* 38-34 1% 14 Charlotte Hornets 38-34 0.5% *The Pelicans’ pick would convey to the Atlanta Hawks. The Magic’s pick would convey to the Memphis Grizzlies.