2026 NBA Playoffs: Clinching scenarios and standings on March 25

With less than three weeks left to play in the 2025-26 regular season, teams are in the midst of heated battles in the standings ahead of the start of the NBA playoffs on April 18. The top six teams in each conference will earn an outright playoff berth at the conclusion of the regular season. The next four teams will compete in the play-in tournament on April 14-17 for the last two seeds in each conference, respectively.

With 9-11 games remaining on the schedule, 23 teams remain in contention to qualify for the postseason, via either a playoff berth or a spot in the play-in tournament. The action is set to heat up as teams battle for playoff positioning down the stretch. Wednesday night features 12 games on the schedule, with several key matchups and a couple of Western Conference scenarios to monitor throughout the evening.

What are the matchups on Wednesday? Tonight's slate is absurdly loaded 🤯 🍿 '24 & '25 champs meet as Thunder seeks 13 straight wins vs. Celtics 🍿 East-leading Pistons seek 5 straight vs.

Hawks, who've also won 13 of 14 🍿 Spurs seek 7 straight, Cavs seek 5 straight, Nuggets seek 4 straight pic. twitter. com/wzrmTbPmGE — NBA (@NBA) March 25, 2026 Updated Standings NBA STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️ ▪️ CHA rises to 9th in East, wins 4th in a row ▪️ NYK wins 7th in a row ▪️ CLE wins 4th in a row ▪️ DEN wins 3rd in a row pic.