The Trail Blazers clinched the seventh-seed out West with a win over the Suns on Tuesday, while the 76ers did the same in the East by defeating the Magic Wednesday. On Friday Phoenix and Orlando claimed the final playoff spots of the 2026 bracket with a tremendous pair of performances to beat the Warriors and Hornets, respectively.

Our NBA experts pick which teams make it out of the play-in tournament and who wins first-round matchups.

The 2026 NBA playoffs began with a play-in tournament on April 14. The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers have been eliminated so far, while the Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers have secured spots in the playoffs.

The NBA postseason is underway, and the full schedule for the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is set. The playoffs tip off this Saturday (April 18) and the first round, with eight best-of-seven series, could run through May 3. The NBA announced the full schedule for the first round late on Tuesday night.

The 14 teams who will participate in the draft lottery are official.

The Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic in the NBA’s play-in tournament. The winner gets the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 playoff seed and a first-round matchup with the Detroit Pistons. The loser’s season ends. The Hornets beat the Miami Heat in a thrilling OT game while the Magic lost to the Philadelphia 76ers to set up Friday’s game.