With the last Play-In spots to be defined, the NBA is getting ready for a postseason led by the Pistons, Thunder and Spurs.
After completing the NBA regular season, attention moves to the postseason, where the best teams will clash to define the next league champion.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons have established themselves as great candidates for the title after the rise of their star Cade Cunningham, with a record of 60-22.
The Boston Celtics, who were able to restructure after the severe injury to Jayson Tatum – a key piece of the team – last season, surprised by achieving the second best record in the East (56-26). Now they will have their star forward again, now recovered.
On the West side, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18) and the San Antonio Spurs (62-20) emerge as the teams to beat, led by their respective stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.
Gilgeous-Alexander will seek his second consecutive ring, while “Wemby” will try to establish himself as one of the faces of the new generation.
Latest Play-In games
The first phase of the Play-In culminated with the Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Orlando Magic, ensuring a tie against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, and with the Charlotte Hornets eliminating the Miami Heat. Magic and Hornets will have to face each other for the last spot in the East.
In the West, the Portland Trail Blazers were paired with the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the postseason after beating the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
For their part, the Golden State Warriors left out the Los Angeles Clippers, so now the Suns and Warriors will define the last ticket to the postseason.
THE FINAL NIGHT OF @SoFi PLAY-IN ACTION!
🍿 Magic host Hornets for East 8 seed
🍿 Suns host Warriors for West 8 seedWin to get in. Win or go home. It’s all on the line tonight on Prime 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sivvfrB16x
—NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2026
The last spots will be defined tonight with the following matchups: first, Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets at 6:30 p.m.; the winner will face the Pistons.
Next, the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors will play at 9:00 pm, with the winner facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
Start of the postseason
The playoffs begin this Saturday, April 18 with the following games: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors (12:00 pm), Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (2:30 pm) and New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks (5:00 pm).
With the crossovers defined and the stars ready, the NBA begins a postseason that promises intensity from the opening jump.
