Playoff Races, Lottery Odds and Awards on the Line in NBA Season’s Final Four Days
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The 2025-26 NBA regular season ends Sunday, leaving four days to settle remaining playoff spots, draft positioning, award eligibility and potential roster moves.
Playoff Berths and Seeding
Eastern Conference
Detroit has locked up the No. 1 seed, but every other slot remains fluid. Boston needs either one win or one New York loss over the final three games to clinch No. 2. The Knicks still must fend off Cleveland for No. 3, holding a half-game lead and the tiebreaker.
Seeds five through 10 remain crowded:
- Atlanta Hawks 45-35
- Toronto Raptors 44-35
- Orlando Magic 44-36
- Philadelphia 76ers 43-36
- Charlotte Hornets 43-37
- Miami Heat 41-38
Atlanta secures a top-six berth with one more victory but closes against Cleveland on Friday and Miami on Sunday. The Heat, starting a three-game push Thursday in Toronto, have the steepest climb.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City (No. 1), San Antonio (No. 2), Minnesota (No. 6), Phoenix (No. 7) and Golden State (No. 10) are locked in. Denver leads the chase for No. 3 at 52-28 but finishes against the Thunder on Friday and Spurs on Sunday. Los Angeles and Houston, both 50-29, trail the Nuggets; the injury-hit Lakers visit Golden State on Thursday, then host Phoenix and Utah. The Rockets close with Philadelphia on Thursday and Memphis on Friday and Sunday, all in Houston.
Portland (40-40) sits one game behind the 41-39 Clippers for No. 8. A Trail Blazers win over L.A. on Friday would give them control; the loser likely falls to ninth and faces a longer play-in path.
Traded Picks and Lottery Standings
Utah, riding a 10-game skid, will transfer its 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City unless it lands in the top eight; the chance of that pick falling outside the top eight is only 0.6 percent even if the Jazz finish fifth worst.
Indiana needs one more loss to guarantee bottom-three positioning and a 52.1 percent shot at a top-four selection; the pick conveys to the Clippers if it falls outside the top four. L.A. benefits from every additional Pacers defeat.
New Orleans (26-54), Dallas (25-55) and Memphis (25-55) are clustered for lottery odds ranging from 37.2 percent to 26.2 percent for a top-four pick, with Atlanta holding the better of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ first-rounders. Milwaukee (31-49) and Chicago (30-49) are nearly tied for ninth-best odds, giving Bulls fans reason to root against their own team in the final two games.
Award Eligibility and the 65-Game Rule
Several honors remain undecided. Rookie of the Year pits Dallas forward Cooper Flagg against Charlotte guard Kon Knueppel, while Sixth Man and Most Improved have no clear favorites.
Defensive Player of the Year favorite Victor Wembanyama must log at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s final two contests to meet the 65-game minimum after missing Wednesday with a rib contusion. Nikola Jokic (Denver) and Kawhi Leonard (L.A. Clippers) each need 15 minutes in one remaining game to qualify.
Cade Cunningham (Detroit), Luka Doncic (L.A. Lakers) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota) will miss the 65-game cutoff for All-NBA consideration; agents for Cunningham and Doncic are expected to request extraordinary-circumstances exceptions. Devin Booker (Phoenix) will appear in 66 games, but two sub-10-minute outings do not count toward the requirement.
Roster Spots and Transaction Deadlines
Boston, Chicago and Utah enter Thursday with one open roster slot each. The Jazz will have another vacancy Saturday when Kennedy Chandler’s 10-day deal expires. Clubs are expected to fill those openings—often by converting two-way contracts—to ensure postseason eligibility.
Miami is still projected to waive Terry Rozier to add a newcomer or promote a two-way player. Because the final regular-season games begin after 6 p.m. ET Sunday, veterans on expiring contracts may be waived as late as Friday and still clear waivers in time.
Coaching and Front-Office Watch
Front-office and coaching changes typically follow the season, but late-season dismissals are not unheard of. Denver removed head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth during the last week of 2024-25, and Memphis fired coach Taylor Jenkins in March 2025. Chicago dismissed top executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley earlier this week, and more moves could surface before Sunday night.
With playoff brackets, lottery odds and award qualifications all unresolved, the NBA’s final four days promise a busy finish.
Source: Hoops Rumors
