2026 NBA Playoffs: Clinching scenarios and standings on April 3
Nine games are scheduled for Friday in the NBA, with several key matchups and an Eastern Conference clinching scenario to monitor.
With less than two 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.
After 10 teams were eliminated from contention, the 20 bound for the postseason are locked in, either via a playoff berth or a spot in the play-in tournament. The action is set to heat up as teams battle for positioning in the standings down the stretch. Nine games are scheduled for Friday, with several key matchups and an Eastern Conference clinching scenario to monitor throughout the evening.
What are the matchups on Friday? RACE TO THE FINISH with 10 days left in the regular season! š„ East 2-3 both in action, separated by 2.
5 games (BOS, NYK) š„ West 5-6 both in action, separated by 1 game (HOU, MIN) š„ East 5-9 all in action, separated by 3. 5 games (ATL, PHI, TOR, CHA, ORL) pic. twitter.