The 5 great battles of the remaining NBA season

We are now fully into the final stretch of the 2026 NBA regular season, and we do so with several crucial uncertainties to resolve. What happens from now until April 13, the last match day, seems crucial for the upcoming playoffs, so it is worth analyzing what the main battles are to be cleared up in the next three weeks.

Simply thrilling. This is how the final weeks of competition in the NBA regular season are shaping up. Despite already knowing the identities of the 20 teams that will play in the postseason, the order in which they arrive could significantly influence what happens in the play-in and, above all, in the playoffs. There are very few aspiring teams that can ease off these weeks as all are engaged in some important battle for a particular position.

Here are the major battles to be fought in the remainder of the NBA season

1. The quest for favorable home-court advantage in the West

Three franchises share the same record (Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Rockets), while the Lakers have a slight advantage. It is vital for all of them to finish in the third or fourth spot to secure home-court advantage in the first round and gain a confidence boost.

2. A privileged position for the West play-in

The three teams involved in this objective are the Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors. Their aspiration is to capture the eighth spot to have two bullets in the chamber for the playoffs. They are neck and neck, but the team with seemingly greater resources and thus the favorite is the Los Angeles team.

3. The second spot in the East

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks will engage in a fierce battle to try to secure that second position, which would exempt them from facing the Pistons until the Conference finals, especially tantalizing for the New Yorkers, who are encountering many issues against Detroit's team. Additionally, finishing second would mean facing a team from the play-in, with the physical and mental strain that entails.

4. Avoiding the East play-in

There is a 2.5-game difference between the fifth and tenth-placed teams. Toronto Raptors lead with the best record, but they cannot relax against the push from Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Miami Heat, as well as the right to dream that the Charlotte Hornets have earned. Everything may be decided by small details given the prevailing equality. Two teams will go straight to the playoffs and four will enter the play-in.

5. Best record in the entire NBA

Having the home-court advantage in the Finals is always positive, in addition to the historical prestige of being the best team in the regular season. Oklahoma City Thunder is the frontrunner to achieve this, but both the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons will persevere in the attempt to snatch that privilege away from them.

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