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All 20 postseason seeds are now set as the NBA’s 2025-26 regular season wrapped up on Sunday night
Apr 12, 2026
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11:01 pm ET
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2 min read
Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports
The 2026 NBA playoff bracket is set. All 20 seeds are locked in, and the postseason gets started on Tuesday with the Play-In Tournament. In the East, the Raptors clinched the final top-six seed and a guaranteed playoff berth on Sunday, and the Nuggets closed out the regular season by clinching the No. 3 seed in the West over the Lakers.
The Play-In Tournament will run through Friday, and the first round of the playoffs will tip off on Saturday (April 18). The play-in will decide the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences, but we already know four of the eight first-round matchups. In the East, the No. 3 Knicks will face the No. 6 Hawks, and the No. 4 Cavaliers will go up against the No. 5 Raptors. In the West, it’s the Nuggets against the Timberwolves in the conference’s 3-6 matchup, and the Lakers facing the Rockets in the 4-5.
The Pistons, Celtics, Thunder and Spurs await the winners of the Play-In Tournament. The Celtics, as the East’s No. 2 seed, will face either the 76ers or the Magic in the first round; the Spurs will battle either the Suns or Trail Blazers in Victor Wembanyama’s playoff debut.
Here’s a look at the now official 2026 NBA playoff bracket.
2026 NBA playoff bracket
Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports
2026 NBA Playoff Picture NBA postseason bracket Play-In Tournament
East: No. 7 76ers vs. No. 8 Magic | No. 9 Hornets vs. No. 10 Heat West: No. 7 Suns vs. No. 8 Trail Blazers | No. 9 Clippers vs. No. 10 Warriors East first round
No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Hawks
No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Raptors
West first round
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Nuggets vs. No. 6 Timberwolves
No. 4 Lakers vs. No. 5 Rockets
Play-In Tournament schedule Tuesday, April 14
Hornets vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Loser is eliminated from postseason Suns vs. Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets West No. 7 seed Wednesday, April 15
76ers vs. Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets East No. 7 seed Clippers vs. Warriors, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Loser is eliminated from postseason Friday, April 17
76ers/Magic vs. Hornets/Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets East No. 8 seed, loser is eliminated from postseason Suns/Trail Blazers vs. Clippers/Warriors, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets West No. 8 seed, loser is eliminated from postseason 2026 NBA playoffs schedule All times Eastern. Games on ABC and ESPN are streaming on fubo (Try for free).
Saturday, April 18
No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Raptors, 1 p.m., Prime No. 3 Nuggets vs. No. 6 Timberwolves, 3:30 p.m., Prime No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Hawks, 6 p.m., Prime No. 4 Lakers vs. No. 5 Rockets, 8:30 p.m., ABC/fubo Sunday, April 19
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 TBD, 1 p.m., ABC/fubo No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD, 3:30 p.m., ABC/fubo No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 TBD, 6:30 p.m., NBC No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 7 TBD, 9 p.m., NBC 2026 NBA playoffs key dates April 18-19: First-round series begin May 2-4: Second round begins May 10: 2026 NBA Draft Lottery May 19: Eastern Conference Finals begin May 20: Western Conference Finals begin June 3: NBA Finals Game 1 June 19: NBA Finals Game 7 (if necessary)
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