Six Days Left and the NBA Playoff Picture Is About to Get Wild
We are down to the final week of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, and things are getting real. Nine teams have already locked in their playoff spots, but three more spots are still up for grabs and the jockeying for position in the West is absolutely brutal. The Hawks and 76ers are fighting for the final two spots in the East, while the Timberwolves need just one more win to clinch a top-six seed in the West.
The Lakers Are Hanging By a Thread
Here's the thing that should worry Lakers fans: LeBron James dropped 30 points and 15 assists against the Mavericks on Sunday. That's a superstar performance. But it wasn't enough. The absence of both Luka Donċić and Austin Reaves turned the Mavericks into a tanking team that somehow beat one of the league's best players. That loss dropped the Lakers into a tie with the Nuggets at 50-28.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiRight now, the Lakers own the tiebreaker and sit at No. 3. But here's where it gets scary: SportsLine's projections (based on 10,000 simulations of the remaining schedules) have the Nuggets jumping over the Lakers by season's end. If that happens, the Lakers could end up in a first-round 4-5 matchup with the Rockets. Only one game in the loss column separates the West's 3-5 seeds. It's a knife fight.
The East is Still Sorting Itself Out
The 76ers just jumped into the No. 6 seed after Toronto lost to Boston on Sunday. That means the Hawks and 76ers are scrapping for the final two playoff spots in the East. The Pistons are locked in as the No. 1 seed, and the Celtics project to stay at No. 2.
The final day of the regular season is Sunday, April 12. That's when everything gets settled. Between now and then, every game matters. Magic numbers are shrinking. Tiebreakers are going to decide seeding. The play-in tournament is looming for teams fighting for that No. 7 seed.
Check back here throughout the week as we update the standings and projections. This thing is far from decided.
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