2026 NBA Playoffs: Clinching scenarios and standings on April 9
Six games are scheduled for Thursday in the NBA, with key matchups and an Eastern Conference clinching scenario to monitor throughout the evening.
With just three game days left 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. In fact, only six teams have clinched their positions, leaving 14 of the 20 postseason seeds still to be decided. Six games are scheduled for Thursday in the NBA, with several key matchups and an Eastern Conference clinching scenario to monitor throughout the evening.
What are the matchups on Thursday? 6 GAME THURSDAY SLATE š„ š TOR (0. 5 GB from 5th in East) hosts MIA š BOS seeks 5th straight win, faces NYK š HOU seeks 8th straight win, takes on PHI (0.
5 GB from 7th in East) š Lakers vs. Warriors in a battle out west pic. twitter.