Sixers Notes: George, Celtics Matchup, Maxey, Embiid
The Sixers and Celtics played four times during the regular season, but those meetings don’t offer much insight into the current version of both teams, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). Three of those games were early in the season and the final one took place March 1, shortly before Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles injury. Philadelphia’s Paul George also missed all four games, either because of injuries or suspension.
Coach Nick Nurse talked about the importance of having George to help slow down Tatum and Jaylen Brown when the first-round series starts Sunday afternoon. George, who has averaged 21 points per game and shot 41.5% from three-point range since returning from the suspension, sidestepped a question at Saturday’s practice about the Sixers’ underdog status.
“That sounds like a little bulletin board material right there,” he said. “We’ve given them their respect. But at the end of the day, man, it’s competition. We’ve got to go and compete. They’ve got to go and compete. That’s just what it boils down to. … We’re not going to back down. They’re not going to back down.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Boston has two obvious advantages heading into the series, Mizell adds in the same piece. One is three-point shooting, where the Celtics rank third in makes per game (15.5) and eighth in percentage (36.7%), while the Sixers are 22nd (12.3) and 23rd (34.9%) in those categories. The other is Boston’s huge advantage in offensive rebounding, which was on display in the March 1 game as the Celtics pulled down 19 offensive boards and scored 30 second-chance points. “The last game we played against them, we lost because we didn’t rebound,” Dominick Barlow said. “I think that’s going to be the game.”
- Philadelphia will need big scoring numbers from its backcourt combination of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to have a chance in the series, notes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Maxey is looking forward to being back on the playoff stage in the wake of last year’s disastrous season. “Being in the playoffs means everything,” he said. “It means everything, man. The way last season went, I just didn’t want to have that feeling again. I challenged myself last summer, and I feel like I rose to that challenge. We’re here now, and we’re in the playoffs and that’s what matters the most.”
- Joel Embiid‘s status is uncertain as he recovers from an appendectomy, and Nurse refused to speculate on whether his star center will be available beyond the series opener (Twitter video link from PHLY Sports.) “I’m preparing for Sunday’s game, and I know he’s not playing in that one,” Nurse told reporters. “That’s all — we’re just zeroed in on trying to see, can we go in there and get ready to battle.”
Cavs Notes: Mitchell, Harden, Expectations, Game 1
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. His backcourt teammate James Harden has made the playoffs in all 17 of his NBA seasons but has only made one Finals appearance, losing to Miami in 2012. Mitchell says both players are determined to do everything they can to win their first title.
“We’re different, right? He’s 17 years in. I’m nine,” Mitchell told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Does a ring change the conversation around his name? Yeah. Should it change it? No. I think [Harden] should still be looked at as one of the top guards, the top players who ever played this game. But we live in a ring culture. So, does a ring change the narrative? Sure. Change the narrative to me? For sure. And same thing with Joel Embiid, right? So, there’s a level of desperation to try to change what our narratives have been.
“For me, it’s not being able to get past the second round. For [Harden] it’s changing the playoff luck. I wouldn’t call it anything else because a lot has to go right to get to that point. You can have great individual success and still lose. You could do everything you humanly possibly can and still lose, right? I think it’s just a matter of the situation. It’s a testament to [Harden] to continue to be here 17 years in a row. That’s equally as impressive. So, I don’t think that defines him, who he is or his greatness. It’s something that will give the both of us, quite frankly, something that we’ve been longing for: winning a championship.”
Spears’ story also contains a transcript of Mitchell’s latest video diary for Andscape. Mitchell grades his performance this season, discusses the team’s runway to make a deep playoff run, and more.
We have more notes from Cleveland:
- Harden believes this year’s Cavs team represents his best chance to win a title, per Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. “It’s the truth. That’s why I’m here,” Harden said about the narrative of doing everything but winning a championship. The former league MVP, who could be a free agent this summer, says he doesn’t waste time thinking about previous close calls in the playoffs. “Run up against a dynasty, injuries. It’s a part of the game, though. … I don’t dwell on it. I don’t think back. It’s a part of it. It’s life,” Harden said. “I’m sure we all could look at ourselves and think about certain things that happened over the course of our life that just didn’t go our way and feel bad about it, feel sad about it. I don’t think like that. I just keep pushing.”
- How the Cavaliers fare in the playoffs will play a major role in their potential offseason moves, as Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. While Cleveland shed some payroll ahead of the trade deadline, the Cavs were still the only NBA team that operated over the second tax apron in 2025/26 and project to be over that threshold again in ’26/27, Katz notes. Harden is expected to decline his player option for next season in search of a new deal, a source tells Katz.
- Eric Koreen, Jason Lloyd, Zach Powell and Joe Vardon of The Athletic share their takeaways from Saturday’s Game 1 home victory over the Raptors, with Koreen noting that Toronto struggled to contain Mitchell and Harden, who combined for 54 points, 14 assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Kerr, Draymond, Offseason
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry reflected on the past and looked forward to the future after the Warriors were eliminated from postseason contention on Friday night, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
“Before you win the title,” Curry said, “… you’re building the foundation for what a championship team looks like — even though you have no idea what that really meant. Then you accomplish it, then everything else is based off of that. It’s been that way since 2015. I think we can reshape the narrative, knowing in the back of our mind that (a title) is an ultimate goal. But we have to get back to the basics of what makes a good basketball team, a competitive basketball team every single night. …
“Can we rethink how we do things with the foundation that we’ve established? We don’t have to keep saying ‘championship, championship, championship’ every day, even though we’ve experienced that. Can we build the foundation again with what this team needs to do, with the way that the game is played now, how fast it is, how young and athletic it is?”
Thompson’s story is largely centered on the uncertain future of Steve Kerr, who simultaneously sounded ready to continue coaching — under the right conditions — and ready to walk away from the job he’s held for 12 years. Curry admitted he wasn’t expecting Kerr to thank him and Draymond Green before the game ended.
“I was kind of fighting it, to be honest,” Curry said. “You’ve ended your season a lot of different ways, and you’ve had those moments on the sideline where you go up and down and thank everybody for what they poured into the year.
“But for it to start with that conversation and that moment, it was definitely weird. … I do appreciate the fact that he took that moment because, regardless, we’re human beings, and we have to be able to acknowledge each other in that moment.”
For what it’s worth, multiple sources in the team’s locker room tell Thompson they expect Kerr to be back next season, though Thompson readily acknowledges that decision will be Kerr’s to make.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- As for Curry’s own future, he made it clear he wants to play at least two more seasons and is open to signing an extension this offseason, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. The 38-year-old guard is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $62.6MM in 2026/27. “For sure,” Curry said. “But none of those conversations have happened. So it will be a busy summer for the Warriors.” The 17-year veteran also expressed optimism that his nagging right knee injury won’t bother him when next season rolls around, Friedell writes.
- Draymond Green, who controls a $27.7MM player option for next season, sounded a little more uncertain about what could be in store for him going forward, Friedell adds in the same piece. The former Defensive Player of the Year reiterated he wants to stay with the only team he’s ever known — if Golden State wants him around. “I don’t know,” Green replied when asked about his future. “I’m not retiring from basketball, though. I still love to play and I think I’m still pretty decent. But this league we’re in, it’s an interesting one. And it’s one that you don’t really control everything, so for me, I hope I’ve done enough to still be here. Because at the end of the day, if I ain’t done enough I don’t want to be here.”
- Bobby Marks of ESPN previews the Warriors’ offseason, writing that the team projects to be under the luxury tax in ’26/27 for the first time since ’19/20. A potential rookie scale extension for third-year guard Brandin Podziemski will be among the many decisions Golden State’s front office will face this summer, Marks notes.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Nuggets, Durant, Allen
As expected, star guard Anthony Edwards has been upgraded to available for Saturday’s Game 1 at Denver, the Timberwolves announced (via Twitter). Edwards was previously listed as questionable due to a right knee injury which caused him to miss multiple games at the end of the regular season.
That nagging right knee injury ultimately cost Edwards the ability to earn major postseason awards, such as All-NBA, when his extraordinary circumstances appeal was denied. The 24-year-old shot career-best percentages on two-pointers (55.4%) and three-pointers (39.9%) while averaging a career-high 28.8 points per game in 2025/26. Edwards was named second-team All-NBA each of the past two seasons.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Nuggets forward Spencer Jones will be active today against Minnesota after previously being listed as questionable, per the team (Twitter link). Jones, a former undrafted free agent in his second NBA season, has been sidelined since March 29 due to a right hamstring strain. Fourth-year forward Peyton Watson, meanwhile, remains out due to his own right hamstring strain, which he aggravated on April 1. Watson previously missed several weeks due his initial strain prior to returning in late March.
- Rockets star Kevin Durant is questionable to suit up tonight against the Lakers due to a right knee contusion, but the injury doesn’t sound serious. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the 37-year-old forward sustained the injury in a practice this week. Houston is confident Durant’s knee bruise won’t be a “significant issue” in the first-round series vs. Los Angeles, a source tell ESPN.
- While Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen was in the team’s starting lineup for the afternoon matchup vs. Toronto on Saturday, he acknowledged earlier this week that the right knee tendonitis he’s been experiencing since March 3 is likely to continue bothering him until the offseason, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. As Fedor writes, Allen’s tendonitis has been described as “severe,” and he’s tried a variety of treatment methods to reduce inflammation and pain in his knee. “I’d be lying if I said I would expect it to be 100%,” Allen said. “I don’t think anybody will be 100% going into the playoffs. That’s just how it is. That’s my very political answer to not give you a yes or no. But I think it’s definitely something I’m going to have to deal with and manage. Get treatment before and take the medicine that I’m supposed to try to be at my best.”
Fischer’s Latest: Horst, Bucks, Jenkins, Blazers, Bulls
The Bucks endured a disappointing and drama-filled season in 2025/26, going just 32-50 amid injuries to — and trade rumors involving — Giannis Antetokounmpo. Head coach Doc Rivers officially stepped down from his role on Monday and suggested in a subsequent podcast appearance that his NBA coaching days may be over.
Could general manager Jon Horst be the next key member of the organization on the move? According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), the early signs in Milwaukee indicate the answer to that question is no.
There had been speculation around the league about Horst’s job status, but his contract runs through 2027/28 and he has initiated contact with several agents as the Bucks commence their search for Rivers’ replacement, sources tell Fischer.
As Fischer writes, Horst hasn’t really spearheaded a coaching search since 2018, when the team hired Mike Budenholzer. Adrian Griffin, who went 30-13 in ’23/24 before being replaced by Rivers, was believed to be the favored choice of Antetokounmpo, while Rivers was hand-picked by ownership.
Fischer reiterates that ex-Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and Bucks top assistant Darvin Ham are among the candidates for the position, but Horst appears to be casting a wide net in his search, with several other names in play as well.
On the other end of the search, candidates for the job likely won’t have a great feel for what Milwaukee’s roster will look like next season until at least this summer, Fischer notes, since Antetokounmpo’s situation remains unresolved.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:
- Jenkins, who was fired by Memphis near the end of the ’24/25 regular season, may be the “hottest name” on the coaching market, Fischer writes. There has been speculation the Wizards could be interested in Jenkins, but Washington’s front office recently said Brian Keefe is expected to remain in his role next season. Sources tell Fischer the Wizards want to give Keefe a chance to lead a team trying to win after Washington prioritized draft positioning in his first two-and-a-half years at the helm. The Magic are believed to be fans of Jenkins too, though the team still has Jamahl Mosley under contract.
- According to Fischer, part of the reason the Kings decided to retain Doug Christie is because Sacramento doesn’t project to be a playoff team next season and the former NBA guard has one year left on his contract. Given the current state of the team, paying two coaches doesn’t make much sense, Fischer writes.
- While Tiago Splitter has seemingly done as well as anyone could have hoped in Portland after Chauncey Billups was arrested and placed on leave as part of an illegal gambling probe, the Trail Blazers may be leaning in a different direction as they look to hire the first head coach under new majority owner Tom Dundon. According to Fischer, that’s not a reflection on Splitter’s performance as Portland’s interim replacement but rather Dundon’s reticence to pay the going rate for an NBA head coach. Fischer hears it has been “widely communicated” for weeks that Dundon is evidently looking to spend a maximum of $1.5MM per year on a new head coach, which is more in line with what top assistant coaches make. It’s also far less money than high-level college head coaches earn, Fischer continues, which is why some people believe an NBA assistant is more likely to accept the job unless a deal can be reached with Splitter. Fischer hears the Blazers have held exploratory talks with 20 college and international coaches about the position.
- The Bulls have hired the firm TurnkeyZRG to lead the search process for their new head of basketball operations, Fischer reports, but head coach Billy Donovan is also expected to have a “strong voice” in the search, assuming he stays in his current role. The Mavericks, meanwhile, decided not to use a search firm, with governor Patrick Dumont leading that process, Fischer adds.
Lakers Notes: Smart, LeBron, Bronny, Schedule, Ayton
The Lakers are big underdogs in their series against the Rockets due to the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. At least initially, that could work to the Lakers’ advantage, according to guard Marcus Smart.
“It’s going to take everybody,” Smart said, per Greg Beacham of The Associated Press. “With that, it’s a different style of play, and I don’t think it’s something that Houston has prepared for. To be fair, they haven’t seen us without those guys. When they’re playing us, they’ve always played us with them. They’ve always had a matchup and game plan for them, and it’ll be interesting to see how they play us without them.”
In any case, Smart says his team will put up a fight, regardless of playing shorthanded.
“We’re competitors,” he said. “They’re going to try to come in and punk us, and if you will allow that, you will be punked. I don’t think we have any guys that are going to be punked on this team. We might not be the most athletic and the strongest, but we’ve got to have the most heart.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- LeBron James and son Bronny James will share the floor at times during the series. Bronny has carved out a rotation role due to the backcourt injuries. “Me being on the floor with him, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career, above everything that I’ve accomplished,” LeBron said to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “So, the fact that he’s put himself in a position to get his number called for a postseason game is pretty remarkable and pretty cool given the circumstances that he’s been given the last couple years. He earned it, he deserves it, and he’ll be ready.”
- If the Lakers can make it a series, they could get Doncic and/or Reaves back at some point. The playoff schedule works in the Lakers’ favor, with two days off between multiple games, Dan Woike of The Athletic tweets — despite starting on Saturday, the series could stretch to May 3, the latest possible Game 7 date. “The mindset for our team and for those two guys, like we’re gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,” coach JJ Redick said. “We don’t know what that is, and that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”
- Deandre Ayton will be making his first playoff appearance since 2023. The Lakers big man knows he’ll have to ramp up his production. “I can play hard on offense. I can play hard on defense,” he said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “So, that’s just really my goal — running the floor always and closing out possessions with rebounds and protecting the rim. So, just trying to enhance everything I can coming into the playoffs.” Redick says the team can play at an elite level when Ayton is productive. “The whole season for him has been about finding consistency,” he said. “When he’s at his best, we’re an elite basketball team. That’s just the reality. He raises our ceiling so much — and it’s on both sides of the ball.”
Raptors Guard Immanuel Quickley Won’t Play In Game 1
11:36am: Shead is listed in the starting lineup.
10:54am: Immanuel Quickley won’t play for the Raptors in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Cavaliers this afternoon, Michael Grange of Sportsnet tweets.
Quickley had been listed as questionable due to a hamstring injury. Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic told the media this morning that Quickley wouldn’t suit up.
Quickley, who was already battling right foot plantar fasciitis, strained his right hamstring in Toronto’s regular season finale against Brooklyn on April 12. Quickley said this week he wasn’t sure if the injuries were related.
“Just day-to-day. Trying to take care of myself so I can be back on the floor with my teammates,” Quickley said.
Quickley averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game this season, including 13.3 PPG and 6.3 APG in three games against the Cavaliers.
His absence puts more onus on key backcourt backups, Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter, to hold their own against Cleveland’s high-scoring duo of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Rajakovic declined to say whether Shead or Walter would start in Quickley’s place.
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Brunson, Robinson
Knicks owner James Dolan made it clear during a radio interview this winter what his expectations were for the postseason.
We want to get to the [NBA] Finals. And we should win the Finals,” Dolan said then. “This is sports and anything can happen. But getting to the Finals, we absolutely got to do.”
That postseason run begins today with Game 1 against Atlanta at Madison Square Garden. First-year coach Mike Brown is unfazed by the high bar raised by the owner, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.
“I don’t even think about the last part of the question,” Brown said. “Everybody in that locker room has a competitive spirit that I like, and I can say is unmatched. I love the group. We’re competing, not just for 53 wins; we’re competing, like everyone else is, to win it. … Our competitive spirit is there, and it’s not something that we take lightly.”
Karl-Anthony Towns knows the season will be looked upon as a failure if the Knicks don’t at least reach the Finals.
“It was great that we put ourselves in this position going into the playoffs,” Towns said. “At the end of the day, the regular season doesn’t mean anything if we don’t capitalize on this opportunity.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Speaking of Towns, he has a chance to define his legacy with the team in these playoffs, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Towns could be the key to the series against the Hawks, Schwartz notes, since Atlanta doesn’t match up well with Towns. Onyeka Okongwu is their biggest starter and is more of a natural power forward than center, giving Towns a size advantage. With Okongwu as his primary defender, Towns went 11-for-14 from the field — and 4-for-6 from three-point range — along with five assists this season. Overall, Towns averaged 28.5 points — his most against any opponent — in the two games he played against the Hawks this year.
- The Knicks’ front office has built the team around Jalen Brunson and now we will find out if that approach was sound, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines. Their free agent signings and blockbuster trades have all been done with the notion of Brunson being the player to finally lead them to the title that has eluded the franchise for over 50 seasons.
- Mitchell Robinson is healthy for this postseason run. He’ll have to deal with Hack-A-Mitch tactics, with the career 50.8 percent free throw shooter being intentionally fouled to exploit his biggest weakness. Brown says he has a plan for that strategy. “We’ve talked about it. We have different things in mind that we’ll do,” he said, per Bondy. “A lot of them will come down to time and score and feel. But we understand that’s what teams may want to do, especially if our offense is clicking at that point in time.”
Kerr Uncertain Whether He’ll Remain Warriors’ Coach
Steve Kerr isn’t sure if he’ll be coaching the Warriors next season. He is certain he won’t be coaching any other NBA team.
Golden State’s longtime head coach discussed his uncertain future after the Warriors were eliminated from postseason contention following Friday’s play-in loss in Phoenix.
There’s been plenty of speculation regarding Kerr, whose contract expired with the end of the Warriors’ season. The situation won’t be resolved immediately, as Kerr plans to take a week or two to gather his thoughts before meeting with controlling owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. regarding a new contract.
“We’ll talk about what’s next for the Warriors, what the plan is this offseason,” Kerr said, per The Associated Press. “And we will come to a collaborative decision on what’s next. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still love coaching. But I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date.
“There’s a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas and all that. And, if that’s the case, then I will be just nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could have to coach this franchise, in front of our fans in the Bay and to coach Steph Curry, to coach (Draymond Green) and the whole group.”
Kerr has been the Warriors’ coach for 12 seasons. He has won four championships with Curry Green and Green leading the way.
Both of them are hoping Kerr will be back for a 13th season and beyond. Each player has one year remaining on his contract, though Green could become a free agent if he declines his $27.7MM player option.
“I want Coach to be happy. I want him to be excited about the job. I want him to believe you know he’s the right guy for the job,” Curry said. “I want him to have an opportunity to again enjoy what he does. So, whatever that means for him, you know, everybody’s plan is their own. And I’m not going to try to tell anybody what to do. He knows how I feel about him. That shouldn’t even need to be said.”
“I just don’t deal with change well,” Green said. “I don’t love it. So, I don’t want to think about that. I hope that’s not the case. but we’ll see what happens.”
Before the game ended, Kerr hugged both players and stated, “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I love you guys to death. Thank you.”
Kerr indicated that coaching Curry the remainder of the Hall of Fame guard’s career is a consideration.
“That’s part of the equation,” Kerr said, per Anthony Slater of ESPN. “I don’t want to walk away from Steph. I’m definitely not going and coaching somewhere else next year in the NBA. I would never walk away from Steph. But all this stuff has to be aligned and right. Those are all discussions that will be had.”
Post-Play-In Update On 2026 Draft Order, Lottery Standings
As we explained on Monday following the conclusion of the NBA’s 2025/26 regular season, the results of the play-in tournament helped move the lottery standings and the 2026 draft order one step closer to being officially set.
Here’s what we know now…
Lottery teams
The lower seeds won three of this week’s six play-in games, but in the end, the teams that finished seventh and eighth in the East and West during the regular season are the ones advancing to the playoffs, with the ninth and 10th seeds having been bounced.
The only deviation from the regular season standings was the Suns and Trail Blazers flipping spots in the Western Conference as a result of Portland’s upset victory on Tuesday.
As a result, the tentative lottery standings are the same as the ones we laid out on Monday. Here’s what they look like, per Tankathon:
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 47.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| IND* | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 27.8 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| BKN | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 14.8 | 26 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| UTA | 11.5 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11 | 7.5 | 27.1 | 17.9 | 2.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SAC | 11.5 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11 | 2 | 18.2 | 25.5 | 8.5 | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| MEM | 9 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | – | 8.6 | 29.7 | 20.6 | 3.7 | 0.2 | – | – | – | – |
| NOP* | 6.8 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 7.9 | – | – | 19.8 | 35.6 | 13.8 | 1.4 | >0 | – | – | – |
| DAL | 6.7 | 7 | 7.4 | 7.8 | – | – | – | 32.9 | 31.1 | 6.6 | 0.4 | >0 | – | – |
| CHI | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.7 | – | – | – | – | 50.8 | 25.9 | 3 | 0.1 | >0 | – |
| MIL* | 3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 65.9 | 19 | 1.2 | >0 | >0 |
| GSW | 2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 77.6 | 12.6 | 0.4 | >0 |
| LAC* | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 86.1 | 6.7 | 0.1 |
| MIA | 1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 92.9 | 2.3 |
| CHA | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 97.6 |
(* Asterisks denote traded picks)
- The Pacers‘ pick will be sent to the Clippers if it’s outside the top four.
- The Jazz‘s pick will be sent to the Thunder if it’s outside the top eight.
- The most favorable of the Pelicans‘ and Bucks‘ picks will be sent to the Hawks, with Milwaukee receiving the least favorable of the two.
- The Clippers‘ pick will be sent to the Thunder.
Multiple tiebreakers will still be required before the pre-lottery draft order is locked in, since two pairs of lottery teams finished the regular season with identical records. The teams listed above in italics were tied, so the following spots in the chart could still be flipped, pending the results of random tiebreakers:
- Utah Jazz / Sacramento Kings (22-60)
- New Orleans Pelicans / Dallas Mavericks (26-56)
The Jazz and Kings will share identical odds at a top-four pick, while the winner of the Pelicans/Mavericks tiebreaker will get one extra ping pong ball in the draft lottery, giving that team the slightest possible edge at a top-four selection. The most meaningful aspect of the tiebreaker results is the fact that they set the floor for how fall a team’s pick can fall.
For instance, if Utah wins its tiebreaker with Sacramento, the most likely landing spot for the Jazz’s pick would be No. 6 overall and it would be guaranteed to land in the top eight, meaning it won’t be conveyed to the Thunder. On the other hand, if the Kings win that tiebreaker, the most likely slot for the Jazz’s pick is No. 7, and there would be a slight chance (0.6%) it could drop all the way to No. 9, in which case it would be sent to Oklahoma City.
Traded first-round picks
The play-in results also provided some clarity on certain first-round picks that were traded with protections.
Most notably, the Trail Blazers‘ playoff berth ensured that Chicago will receive Portland’s 2026 first-round pick, which featured top-14 protection. Since the Blazers had the worst regular season record of any playoff team, it’s a best-case scenario for the Bulls, who will get the 15th overall selection from Portland.
The Thunder are also now assured of receiving the Sixers‘ pick as a result of Philadelphia’s playoff berth. That pick included top-four protection, so if the 76ers had been eliminated in the play-in tournament, there would’ve been an outside shot of it moving up on lottery night and remaining in Philadelphia. Instead, it’ll convey to Oklahoma City and will be in the 16-18 range, pending a tiebreaker.
While the Thunder would’ve received the Clippers‘ first-round pick whether or not L.A. made the playoffs, it’s worth noting that the Clippers’ loss to Golden State on Wednesday means it will be a lottery selection. There’s a 7.2% chance that Oklahoma City will move into the top four with that Clippers pick, which would be a nightmare scenario for the rest of the NBA.
Playoff teams
Based on the play-in results, the draft order outside of the lottery will be as follows, pending tiebreakers:
- Chicago Bulls (from Trail Blazers)
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Magic) *
Charlotte Hornets (from Suns) *
Oklahoma City Thunder (from Sixers) * - San Antonio Spurs (from Hawks) *
Toronto Raptors * - Detroit Pistons (from Timberwolves)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Cavaliers) *
Philadelphia 76ers (from Rockets) * - Los Angeles Lakers *
New York Knicks * - Denver Nuggets
- Boston Celtics
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Pistons)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from Spurs)
- Dallas Mavericks (from Thunder)
It remains possible that the Grizzlies could end up with the Suns’ pick instead of the Magic’s selection, with the Hornets getting Orlando’s first-rounder in that scenario. Memphis has the right to the most favorable of the two picks, which will be determined by a tiebreaker. Each selection could land anywhere from No. 16 to No. 18.
The random tiebreakers for draft positioning are expected to be conducted on Monday. Once those tiebreakers are completed, we’ll publish a full pre-lottery order for both rounds of the 2026 draft.