NBA Playoff Push: Raptors sit atop East’s meaty center

March Madness bracket busted on Day 1?

Don’t fear, you are removed from alone, and we’ll all get a second likelihood at predicting the outcomes of a high-level hoops match come mid-April when the NBA playoffs get underway.

As we enter the ultimate few weeks of the common season, the seeding image is beginning to come into focus, making it an ideal time to verify in on the place contenders stand in every convention.

The race for the ultimate playoff spots is heating up, notably within the East. Three video games separate the No. 5 seed from No. 10. The Toronto Raptors discover themselves atop the meaty center, a half-game up on the sixth-placed Atlanta Hawks, as a host of cold and warm streaks swirl under them within the standings.

Meanwhile, within the West, the sector is extra cut-and-dried, with sizeable gaps between the sixth and seventh seeds and the Tenth- and Eleventh-placed groups. Still, there may be invaluable positioning to jockey for and loads of time for a crew (cough, Phoenix) to make a run.

The 2025-26 season has seen vital realignment throughout each conferences. If the season ended as we speak, the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors would all make the playoffs for the primary time in a minimum of three years. The Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers would take part within the Play-In for the primary time in a minimum of 4 seasons.

Last season’s finalists, the Indiana Pacers, and a former post-season mainstay, the Milwaukee Bucks, would each be on the skin wanting in. The Golden State Warriors’ dwindling dynasty would make the ultimate Play-In spot within the West and require consecutive highway wins for a ticket to the (actual) dance.

The NBA is within the parity period — there’s been a distinct champion in seven consecutive seasons — and the altering of the guard solely makes for extra compelling storylines as we monitor a number of groups at numerous factors of their “innocent climb.”

Here’s a have a look at probably the most attention-grabbing matchups and important junctures of the standings because the schedule enters the house stretch.

The logjam on the coronary heart of the Eastern Conference standings is the best supply of intrigue within the NBA playoff image proper now.

And it is not simply that groups are so carefully packed collectively. The mercurial nature of their current efficiency can also be including to the attract.

The Charlotte Hornets, for example, lastly harnessed all of the superior potential of LaMelo Ball’s offensive creativity – assisted by the addition of key rookies Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner – to publish the NBA’s second-best offensive ranking over the past two months after the Spurs.

Following three straight years within the draft lottery and a 16-28 begin to the season, Charlotte has turned it throughout, going 21-6 since Jan. 22 (additionally second to solely San Antonio). The Hornets are nonetheless simply Tenth within the East at 37-34, however have gained floor rapidly and sit solely three video games again of the fifth-seeded Raptors. Even in the event that they fail to steal a top-six spot, the Hornets could possibly be the primary crew to actually make noise out of the Play-In because the 2022-23 Miami Heat.

While it pales compared to the feel-good story of the high-powered, upstart Hornets, the Atlanta Hawks have gained 13 of their final 14 video games, together with an 11-game successful streak, propelling them into the sixth and ultimate playoff spot. This comes with the caveat that 10 of Atlanta’s wins over this span have been in opposition to tanking groups. (The Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.)

Next, the temperature has been on the rise within the state of Florida. Both the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat rattled off seven straight wins because the calendar turned to March and briefly vaulted themselves into the No. 5 and 6 spots. Then it turned on the market can be a minimum of a pair extra weeks of winter in any case, as each groups proceeded to lose 5 straight and fall again into Play-In territory.

The prime 4 groups within the East appear pretty safe at this level — the Cleveland Cavaliers have a four-game lead on the Raptors for fourth place and have gone 14-5 since buying James Harden on the commerce deadline.

If the Raptors can fend off the turmoil brewing under them, they are going to line as much as play the Cavs in a first-round collection. And whereas the Raptors swept the Cavaliers 3-0 within the common season, that end result got here with loads of caveats. Cleveland is a distinct crew now with Harden. Even then, they weren’t themselves; the star quartet of now-departed Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen missed a mixed six video games in opposition to Toronto.

Still, the Raptors should first keep a top-six spot, or threat exposing themselves to the volatility of a one or two-game Play-In situation. Wins in upcoming video games in opposition to the Magic and Heat would assist improve their buffer on the hazard lurking under.

All-around, the sextet play each other a complete of seven instances over the ultimate three weeks of the season. Here is when these pivotal matchups go down:

GAMES TO WATCH
76ers at Hornets – March 28, 6 p.m. ET
Magic at Raptors – March 29 – 6 p.m. ET
76ers at Heat – March 30, 7 p.m. ET
Hawks at Magic – April 1, 7 p.m. ET
Heat at Raptors – April 7, 7:30 p.m. ET
Heat at Raptors – April 9, 7 p.m. ET (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)
Hawks at Heat – April 12, 6 p.m. ET

While there are clear demarcation factors between the playoff, Play-In and tanking groups within the West, there may be additionally a definite separation between the highest two and their contemporaries. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are in a category of their very own.

They have the highest two information within the league and have proceeded in lockstep because the all-star break; the Spurs have gone 16-2, however have not gained any floor on the Thunder, who’ve gone 15-1. Oklahoma City’s 106 defensive ranking and plus-11.1 internet ranking each lead the NBA by a big margin.

Yet the Spurs have gained 4 of 5 conferences between the pair, together with their thrilling NBA Cup semifinal. They even have the higher file (26-5) and internet ranking (plus-11.2) over the second half.

The Thunder and Spurs function reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, who will presumedly contend for MVP awards for years to come back, respectively. They even have a hellacious, assaulting defence and a steady filled with elite, younger, live-dribble creators, respectively.

Understandably, no crew would wish to face them. The West remains to be the NBA’s preeminent convention, that includes formidable groups one by way of six that every one profile as potential championship contenders. But the Spurs and Thunder are buzzsaws, and the opposite still-very-good groups a minimum of current a preventing likelihood.

That’s why the Phoenix Suns might be battling with all their would possibly to assert a top-six seed and salvage their unexpectedly good season. Not solely to keep away from the Play-In, but in addition to keep away from the nightmarish reward ready for the winners of that mini-tournament — a matchup with both the Thunder or Spurs.

Phoenix sits 3.5 video games behind the Houston Rockets, making a late push troublesome, albeit possible. As touched on beforehand, there aren’t any different clear avenues to the West’s playoff groups altering, because the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers are a full eight video games out of a playoff spot. The New Orleans Pelicans, who’ve been sizzling of late, are additionally eight-and-a-half video games again of a Play-In berth.

The Suns will get their finest likelihood to make up floor once they play the crew they’re chasing, the Houston Rockets, through the ultimate week of the season. Outside of that, a handful of potential Finals previews will go down over the ultimate weeks:

GAMES TO WATCH
Rockets at Suns – April 7, 11 p.m. ET

Thunder at Celtics – March 25 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Knicks at Thunder – March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pistons at Thunder – March 30, 9:30 p.m. ET