It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
The clutch Knicks took down Boston to keep their 2-seed hopes alive.
With just two days of hoops left (!!) in the regular season and so much still to decide, read on for the stakes going into a 15-game Friday.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
April 10, 2026
What’s At Stake – East: Where things stand ahead of today’s East slate on League Pass
What’s At Stake – West: Streaking squads, a race for No. 3 and key Play-In implications
Prime Doubleheader: Surrounded by shooters, Cavs’ stars go for Hawks sweep, Rockets’ streak comes full-circle
Highest Available Seeds: Clutch Knicks keep East 2-seed hunt alive vs. C’s, LeBron & KD shine in chase for 3-seed
East Roundup: Brandon Ingram nets Raptors-high 38 at the right time, Bulls & Pacers win
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A full Friday…
All 30 teams tip-off across 15 games tonight, including a Prime doubleheader as the Cavs visit the Hawks (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Rockets host the Wolves (9:30 ET | Tap to Watch).
Watch Live Tonight: Watch playoff positioning unfold in real-time, across one of the biggest nights of games all year, with NBA League Pass.
Enjoy Basketball Alt Stream: The slate opens with Pistons-Hawks on League Pass (7 ET | Tap to Watch), where Kenny Beecham and Enjoy Basketball will host a special alternate telecast of the game on the NBA App and League Pass.
How The Bracket Would Look: Just four more days until the SoFi Play-In Tournament! See the current Playoff Picture here.
1. LEAGUE PASS EAST: TONIGHT’S STAKES IN A WILD PLAYOFF RACE
Fifteen games Friday. Fifteen games Sunday.
The final two game days of the regular season are the only two 15-game slates of the year – and the stakes are sky-high.
Only one postseason seed is locked in the East: No. 1 Detroit.
That leaves nine seeds up for grabs, with five teams – Toronto, Atlanta, Orlando, Philly and Charlotte – that can rise as high as No. 5 and as low as No. 9.
That’s the difference between a guaranteed Playoff berth and a win-or-go-home Play-In game.
And with all 30 teams in action tonight, the East standings could shift by the hour – starting in Charlotte.
Pistons at Hornets (7 ET, LP): The league’s most electric offense (121.1 OffRtg) since Jan. 1 has jolted No. 9 Charlotte to a 32-15 record in 2026 – just one win behind Detroit (33-14).
Now, the Hornets sit 2 GB of 6th, seeking their first guaranteed Playoff berth since 2015-16. Can they knock off the East’s top seed to keep climbing?
- Enjoy The Energy: Adding to the showdown will be Kenny Beecham and Enjoy Basketball as they host an alternate telecast of the game on the NBA App and League Pass
Raptors at Knicks (7:30 ET, LP): New York has won four straight, fresh off a win over Boston to move 2 games back of 2nd, while holding a 1-game lead over the streaking Cavs (W4) for 3rd.
Now, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks look to keep it rolling against a Raptors squad making a push of their own, coming off back-to-back wins to jump Atlanta for 5th.
- Neck & Neck: Both 45-35, Toronto owns the edge over Atlanta via tiebreaker, with three teams – ORL, PHI, CHA – all within two games
76ers at Pacers (7:30 ET, LP): On a three-game slide, the Sixers hold a tiebreaker edge over Charlotte for 8th (both 43-37), but still have a chance at the top-6 if they win out. That starts tonight in Indy, as Tyrese Maxey and co. look to regain their footing.
Magic at Bulls (8 ET, LP): Right in the middle of the five-team race between seeds 5 and 9 is the hottest team of them all – the Magic.
Orlando started the week in 9th. It’s now in 7th, one game back of Atlanta (6th) and Toronto (5th) while riding a four-game streak. Tonight, the Magic go for five straight, with the chance to inch even closer to Playoff position.
Roundup: Sitting 10th, the Heat are locked into the Play-In – but not locked into position. They can still climb as high as No. 8 as they face the Wizards tonight (7 ET).
Meanwhile, the Celtics seek to rebound as they host the Pelicans (7:30 ET), while the Nets visit the Bucks (8 ET).
2. LEAGUE PASS WEST: STREAKS, SURGES & PIVOTAL DUELS
The wild West race hasn’t let up.
Entering April, its top four teams (OKC, SAS, LAL, DEN) had won a combined 22 straight games.
Heading into the final weekend, a reshuffled top-five (OKC, SAS, DEN, LAL, HOU) has combined for 28 straight wins.
At the top, the first two seeds are locked: the Thunder at No. 1 and the Spurs at No. 2.
But just behind them? A race for No. 3 is raging. And tonight, Denver has a chance to seize it.
Thunder at Nuggets (9 ET, LP): OKC and Denver’s last meeting ended with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doing this. Since that win, the Thunder have gone 13-1, capped by a seven-game win streak.
The Nuggets have gone 13-2 over that span and enter tonight on a 10-game heater, their longest since 2013. Now, they’ll look to make it 11 straight – sitting 1.5 games up on the Lakers (4th) and Rockets (5th) – with a chance to secure the No. 3 seed.
- Joker’s Tear: Nikola Jokić has racked up seven triple-doubles during Denver’s streak, bringing his league-best total to 34
- Forces Collide: One more would give him a single-season career-high (35) – but the Thunder’s top-rated defense stands in the way
- Chasing History: While OKC (64-16) is locked into the top seed, a win tonight would give it back-to-back 65+ win seasons — a feat accomplished only by the Warriors (2014-17) and Bulls (1995-97)
- Playoff Roundup: While the Nuggets, Rockets and Lakers jostle for seeds 3-5, the Wolves are locked into the No. 6 seed
Suns at Lakers (10:30 ET): 1.5 games back of Denver? The Lakers, who are tied with the streaking Rockets (W8) at 51-29. Despite being shorthanded, Los Angeles pulled out a key win last night in Golden State.
The Purple & Gold now seek another key win against Phoenix, locked into the No. 7 seed, with Devin Booker scorching.
- Book Balling: Booker has notched five 30-pieces in his last six games, and is averaging 29 pts since March 1 – the 3rd-most in the NBA
With the Suns locked into No. 7 and Golden State locked into No. 10, two teams remain fighting for seeds 8 and 9.
Clippers at Blazers (10 ET, LP): The difference between a win-and-in Play-In game (7 vs. 8) and a win-or-go-home Play-In game (9 vs. 10) could come down to tonight.
After a record turnaround, the Clippers can clinch the No. 8 seed with a win in Portland. Meanwhile, a win for the Blazers would pull them even with LA entering Sunday’s finale.
Roundup: League Pass brings three more West duels as the Spurs host Cooper Flagg and the Mavs (8 ET), along with Grizzlies-Jazz (9:30 ET) and Warriors-Kings (10 ET).
3. ON PRIME: CAVS SHOOT INTO REMATCH, ROCKETS’ HEATER COMES FULL-CIRCLE
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Home court: clinched.
3-seed: within reach.
Cleveland’s James Harden experiment netted the team a top-4 East seed for a fourth straight year.
Tonight (7 ET, Prime) they go for the sweep of a home-and-home series in Atlanta – who is fighting with a handful of teams to be the 5-seed that the fourth-place Cavs would currently host in the First Round.
But it’s not just Harden and Donovan Mitchell keeping Cleveland within a game of 3-seed New York. NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt writes the Cavs’ star duo is surrounded by sharpshooters:
“… It proves true the Mitchell-James Harden Effect. With the defense focused on them, scoring chances, especially 3-point attempts, are available for other players…
Yes, the Cavs need Mitchell and Harden at their best for the playoffs, but 3-point shooting from others will help determine how deep their run is this spring. | Read More
Depth Beyond Duo: Since Harden’s Feb. 7 arrival, here’s a list of notable scoring performances from seven other Cavs weapons:
- Evan Mobley: Season-high 34 points on March 30
- Jarrett Allen: 29 points in Harden’s Feb. 7 debut
- Jaylon Tyson: 22 points on March 3
- Sam Merrill: Career-high 32 points on Feb. 11
- Max Strus: Season-high 29 points on March 27
- Keon Ellis: 20 points, his highest-scoring game for the Cavs, on March 11
- Dennis Schröder: 26 points his highest-scoring game for the Cavs, on Feb. 25
Another high-stakes rematch tips off in the nightcap of Prime’s doubleheader, but a lot has changed since these teams last met.
A 12-0 Rockets run forced overtime on March 25, continuing on for a 13-point OT lead. That’s when the Wolves ripped off 15 unanswered points for the largest overtime comeback W of the play-by-play era.
Houston has yet to lose since.
Tonight (9:30 ET, Prime), H-Town puts its eight-game streak on the line against the very team it last lost to: Minnesota.
- Blasting Off: In that victorious span, the Rockets have kept pace in the winning West, moving from 6th place into a tiebreaker with the 4-seed Lakers, both 1.5 games behind the 3rd-place Nuggets
- Sizzling Stats: Their 17.3 net rating since March 27 is second only to the reigning champion Thunder, while their 128.0 offensive rating is best in the league
- “We’re already a good defensive team,” said Alperen Sengun. “When we solve the problems with the offense, I think we’re really a great team.”
Minnesota has had to move forward largely without its superstar in Anthony Edwards. The four-time All-Star missed three of the team’s last 13 games with a knee injury.
That’s allowed multiple teammates to shine.
- Powerful Pack: Julius Randle has put up 23.3 points per game in the last 13. Ayo Dosunmu and Jaden McDaniels have each averaged 18-plus this month
- Seed Secured: On Tuesday, the Timberwolves locked up the No. 6 seed, defeating the Pacers, 124-104, behind 24 points from Dosunmu
4. THURSDAY THRILLERS: KNICKS KEEP 2-SEED DOOR OPEN, LAKERS & ROCKETS EVEN
Two games back, two games to go.
Needing a heads-up win against 2nd-place Boston to keep its chase for the 2-seed alive, New York electrified The Garden and halted the C’s four-game win streak.
Knicks 112, Celtics 106: Josh Hart scored 15 of his 26 points in the 4th quarter, flanked by Jalen Brunson (25 pts, 10 ast) to help close the game on a 13-5 Knicks run and take the season series (3-1) and tiebreaker from Jayson Tatum (24 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast) and the Celtics. | Recap
- Hart’s Burn: After putting the Knicks ahead for good a minute earlier, Hart hit two of his five 3s in the final 60 seconds, closing a game that featured 16 lead changes and 13 ties (5 each in the 4th)
- “We find a way to match their intensity, match the way they play,” Brunson said of Boston. “The things that they’ve done the past couple years… They’ve been great.”
- Without Jaylen Brown (Achilles tendinitis), Tatum was two dimes shy of his second triple-double in his 16th game, returning to the site of his injury in the 2025 Playoffs
- A Step Forward: New York’s 52nd win of the season tops last year’s 51-win total, with two games to play. Winning out keeps the Knicks in the mix for the 2 seed
On a three-game slide, missing L.A.’s top-2 scorers, and staring down a jersey he faced in four straight Finals, LeBron went back to his “old ways.”
Lakers 119, Warriors 103: James (26 pts, 8 reb, 11 ast) led seven Lakers in double figures and Deandre Ayton scored 12 of his 21 points in the 3rd quarter, as L.A. shot 61.3% from the field and led for 44 minutes to snap a three-game skid against the Dubs without Steph. | Recap
- “I gotta give them my leadership, both on the floor and off the floor, I gotta lead in all facets on the court,” James said of his role now. “It’s just back to the old ways… Let’s see what we can get done.”
- Driveway Dimes: The King got an assist from son Bronny, literally, with the NBA’s first-ever assist from son to father. LeBron paid Bronny back two quarters later
To keep pace with L.A., Kevin Durant’s Rockets needed an eighth win in a row.
Rockets 113, Sixers 102: KD (29 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) fueled a lead as large as 28 points and shut down two Philly rallies with key 4th-quarter 3s, including the dagger to restore an 8-point lead with 75 seconds left, securing an eighth straight win for Houston. | Recap
- “We keep getting better,” Durant said postgame. “Just continuity… the chemistry of moving the ball, everybody feeling like they’re a part of the offense, and defensively, everybody covering for each other.”
- Without Joel Embiid (appendicitis), Tyrese Maxey (23 pts, 5 ast, 5 3s) led the Sixers, who got within 5 points in a 29-17 4th-quarter charge
- Big O Free Throws: Sinking 6-of-8 shots from the line, Durant passed Oscar Robertson (7,694) for 6th on the all-time free throws made list
- Two Tiebreakers: Both 51-29 and a game out of 3rd, 5th-place Houston trails 4-seed L.A. by just a tiebreaker. In the East, 8th-place Philly holds that same edge over 9th-place Charlotte (both 43-37)
5. EAST ROUNDUP: INGRAM’S SEASON-HIGH, BULLS & PACERS’ DUBS
Entering the season, Toronto was excited to add Brandon Ingram to the mix after a 31-game wait.
Now, his highest-scoring night as a Raptor has the team leading the race for the East’s 5-seed, with two games to go.
Raptors 128, Heat 114: Ingram (7 reb, 7 ast) erupted for a season-high 38 points, pacing Toronto to an early lead it never surrendered, with RJ Barrett adding 22 points to sweep the week and season series from Bam Adebayo (24 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) and Miami. | Recap
- Raps Reset: Following Miami’s 7-0 start, Ingram got rolling with 8 straight points – and 10 total – after the 6 minute mark in the 1st, putting Toronto ahead for good
- Ripping Through: He stayed hot throughout, adding more 13 points in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters to feed a double-digit lead
- Championship Company: His 12th 30+ point game of the season is good for most by a Raptor in a season since Pascal Siakam (14) in 2022-23
- East Bookends: Toronto (45-35) climbs to 5th in the East via tiebreaker over Atlanta (45-35), while Play-In bound Miami can still move up from 10th this weekend
Bulls 119, Wizards 108: Chicago was bolstered by Tre Jones (31 pts), Collin Sexton (27 pts) and a career-high 26 points from Leonard Miller (11 reb) pushing past Will Riley (23 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast) and Washington. | Recap
- Julian Reese (16 pts, 15 reb) logged his 4th-career 15+/15+ game, 2nd-most for any rookie since 2020, behind only Victor Wembanyama, and most for any Wizards’ rook since 2000
Pacers 123, Nets 94: Obi Toppin (26 pts, 9 reb) paced Indy while soaring to this lob finish, as the Pacers never trailed after the first 4 minutes, leading by as many as 32 over E.J. Liddell (26 pts, 10 reb) and the Nets. | Recap
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