The NBA playoff and play-in pictures are almost set after 81 regular season games, and it all boils down to tomorrow to settle what’s left of the Eastern Conference. The Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Hawks have already secured their playoff spots, while the sixth seed is still up for grabs between the Raptors, Magic, and Sixers, with the Hornets and Heat likely headed for the play-in.
The Magic will face the Celtics on the road, while the Sixers and Raptors will host the Bucks and Nets, respectively. Elsewhere, the Cavaliers, Pacers, Heat, Knicks, Mavericks, Rockets, Timberwolves, Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, Clippers, and Blazers will host the Wizards, Pistons, Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Suns, Nuggets, Jazz, Warriors, and Kings.
It’s the final day of the regular season tomorrow, and we have a whopping 15-game schedule. Without further ado, SBOTOP previews the three most important games.
Orlando Magic @ Boston Celtics
The Magic currently occupy the seventh seed at 45-36, level with the Raptors. But between the two teams, the Magic are in better form, having won their last five.
Orlando are coming off a 127-103 road win against Chicago on Friday. After overcoming an injury scare against the Timberwolves, Franz Wagner led the Magic with 25 points and four assists on 8-for-13 shooting from the field in 23 minutes. Jamal Cain, Goga Bitadze, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Wendell Carter Jr. added 20, 15, 14, 12, and 11 points.
The Celtics bounced back from their 112-106 loss against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden with a 144-118 rout of the Pelicans at home on Friday. Sam Hauser led Boston with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists, and eight three-pointers on 8-for-13 shooting from the field in 28 minutes. Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Luka Garza, Nikola Vucevic, and Hugo Gonzalez added 23, 21, 14, 14, and 10 points.
With the second seed already locked up, despite being in a “gap year,” the Celtics might rotate their squad tomorrow, swapping Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the absentee list, after the former took the night off against New Orleans. Derrick White could also take the rest day, which would open up more minutes for their other rotation players like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia Sixers
The Bucks are likely headed towards an ugly divorce with their franchise player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the Greek Freak is unhappy with their 2025-26 campaign. Besides having to deal with injuries, Antetokounmpo will miss the playoffs for the first time in a long while, and there’s no incentive for the team to play him tomorrow (and risk further injury) against the Sixers.
Milwaukee snapped their two-game losing streak with a 125-108 win against a tanking Brooklyn team on Friday, as AJ Green caught fire from three-point range. The undrafted guard finished with a game-high 35 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and knocked down a franchise single-game record 11 three-pointers on 11-for-18 shooting from the field in 41 minutes. Cormac Ryan, Taurean Prince, Myles Turner, Ousmane Dieng, and Jericho Sims added 28, 18, 13, 12, and 11 points.
The Sixers are currently eighth at 44-37, and a win tomorrow would certainly help their cause, even if they don’t fully control their fate. Philadelphia snapped their three-game losing streak with a 105-94 road win against Indiana on Friday, as Tyrese Maxey supplied 32 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 11-for-28 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 shooting from the charity stripe. Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Andre Drummond added 21, 16, 15, and 10 points.
Joel Embiid is not expected to play tomorrow after undergoing an appendectomy recently. The former league MVP’s status ahead of the play-in remains uncertain, per the NBA 2026 news.
Brooklyn Nets @ Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have the highest NBA 2026 odds of securing the final Top 6 berth. However, they must bounce back from their Friday evening defeat against the Knicks.
In the 112-95 loss, Sandro Mamukelashvili was Toronto’s leading scorer with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 5-for-9 shooting from the field in 25 minutes off the bench. Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Ja’Kobe Walter added 16, 15, and 15 points.
The Nets played only seven players during their loss to the Bucks. Tyson Etienne top-scored with 23 points, four rebounds, and six three-pointers on 6-for-12 shooting from the field in 32 minutes. Malachi Smith, Ben Saraf, Nolan Traore, EJ Liddell, Jalen Wilson, and Trevon Scott added 19, 15, 14, 13, 13, and 11 points.
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