2026 NBA Playoff Bracket: Seedings, Matchups and Schedule

The bracket above lists the teams that currently hold the #7 and #8 seeds in each conference as the actual #7 and #8 seeds, but remember: those seeds are determined via the Play-In Tournament.

The table below shows which teams are currently positioned to meet in the 7-vs-8 and 9-vs-10 Play-In matchups in each conference. (The winner of 7-vs-8 claims the #7 seed, while the winner of 9-vs-10 faces the loser of 7-vs-8 for the #8 seed.)

2026 NBA Playoff Picture

Seeds if the 2026 NBA Playoffs as of March 20, 2026.

Be sure to check the latest NBA playoff odds at your book of choice with fewer than 10 games remaining in the regular season.

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Sports Betting Dime‘s early NBA Championship odds favor the Thunder, Celtics, and Spurs, though it’s the Celtics and Thunder who are currently favored to win the Eastern and Western Conference, respectively.

2026 NBA Playoffs Schedule

*Start dates for the conference semifinals and conference finals may be moved up if the previous rounds finish in the minimum number of days.

When Do the 2026 NBA Playoffs Start?

The Play-In Tournament runs over four days, from April 14 to 17. The first round gets underway on April 18 and will likely run until the first weekend of May. While the first round and NBA Finals start dates are set in stone, the second-round and conference finals start dates will hinge upon how long the series in the previous round last.

How Does the NBA Playoff Bracket Work?

For the seventh straight season, the NBA will continue with the Play-In Tournament for the 7-10 seeds in each conference before commencing the traditional 16-team playoff format.

Following the Play-In Tournament, the playoffs will continue with a traditional playoff bracket: eight teams from each of the Eastern and Western Conference competing in a postseason of four rounds comprised of seven-game series. The opening round matchups are 1-vs-8, 2-vs-7, 3-vs-6 and 4-vs-5. The NBA does not re-seed if upsets occur. The bracket is fixed. So the winner of the 1-vs-8 matchup in the East will play the winner of the 4-vs-5 matchup no matter who wins each matchup.

How Does the NBA Play-In Tournament Work?

In the Play-In Tournament, the #7 and #8 seed in each conference will each have two opportunities to win one game to earn a playoff spot. The #9 and #10 seed in each conference will each have to win two consecutive games to earn a playoff spot.

The #7 team in each conference hosts the #8 team, with the winner receiving the seventh seed. The winner of the #9 vs #10 game will then face the loser of the 7-8 game, with the winner of that game earning the #8 seed in the final bracket.

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Archived NBA playoff brackets: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022