On Sunday, the 2025-26 NBA regular season will come to a close. The 14th will mark the beginning of the NBA Play-In Tournament, which leads us to the Playoffs, starting on April 18th. Before postseason action begins, let's do our final power rankings of the regular season.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (64-16)

For the second straight year, the Thunder have clinched the best record in the NBA. They’re riding the second-longest win streak in the league at seven games and have gone 9-1 in their last ten outings. Since the All-Star Break, OKC has the highest winning percentage in the NBA (.917) with a 22-2 record during that stretch. The Thunder are once again the team to beat in the National Basketball Association.

2. San Antonio Spurs (61-19)

What a remarkable jump the Spurs have made from last year to this season. After finishing 34-48 during the 2024-25 campaign, they're on pace to see their win total increase by 28 games! Superstar center Victor Wembanyama is 13th in scoring (24.88 points per game), tied for fourth in rebounds (11.5 per game), and leads the league in blocks per game by a wide margin (3.1). Not only are they 9-1 in their last ten games, but the Spurs have the most wins in the league since the 2026 All-Star Game (23).

3. Detroit Pistons (58-22)

Losing MVP candidate Cade Cunningham for 11 games obviously hurt their post-All-Star Break record, but the Pistons still managed to go 8-3 during that stretch. Detroit ranks tenth in win percentage since All-Star Weekend (.667), despite all those missed games by Cunningham. With him back in the lineup, the Pistons will use the next two games to let Cunningham get his footing back before the playoffs begin. And since they’re guaranteed to play the eighth seed as the top team in the East, Detroit won't be truly tested until the second round of the playoffs. The timing couldn't be better for the Pistons.

4. Denver Nuggets (52-28)

The Nuggets have not lost a regular-season game since March 18th, going 10-0 during this stretch. They've clearly been the best offensive team in the league since then, averaging a preposterous 130.6 points per game on 52% shooting. Nikola Jokić has also been the NBA's best player during this run, averaging 25.2 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 12.7 assists per game. We have actually been taking for granted how good Joker has been. Somehow, his numbers are even better than when he was named MVP. From a defensive standpoint, Denver looks like the scariest team in the NBA right now. Nobody has had an answer for them since mid-March.

5. New York Knicks (52-28)

Though the Knickerbockers have fewer wins than the Celtics, they just beat Boston head-to-head last night, 112-106, so they take the fifth spot on our list. New York has been playing some of its best basketball recently, going 11-3 since March 11th, which gives them the fourth-highest winning percentage in the NBA (.786) behind only the Thunder, Nuggets, and Spurs. With just two regular-season games left on their schedule against the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets, there's a good chance the Knicks will clinch the second seed in the Eastern Conference since they won the season series against Boston.

6. Boston Celtics (54-26)

The Celtics are back in full force now that Jayson Tatum has returned to the lineup. Tatum has been really good offensively, averaging 21.8 points per game. However, he has made his presence felt on the boards with 10 rebounds per game, the 11th-best mark in the NBA since he returned to action on March 6th. It shouldn't be much of a surprise then that the C's are 19-7 since the All-Star Game, giving them the fourth-highest winning percentage in the league during this period of time (.731). With Tatum back to normal and Jaylen Brown having an MVP-worthy season, Boston is once again a major threat to win the East.

7. Houston Rockets (51-29)

The Rockets are peaking at the perfect time. They’ve won eight games in a row, which is the second-longest active streak in the league behind only the Nuggets. They're 10-2 in their last 12 games. Since this run began on March 20th, Kevin Durant is tied for eighth in the league in scoring with 26.8 points per game. They've been very well-rounded during their win streak, ranking sixth in offense (121.5 points per game) and second in defense (105.9 points per game). Houston has done an excellent job of cleaning up the glass, averaging the most rebounds per game in the league since March 26th (48.5).

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (51-29)

The Cavs have gone 11-3 in their last 14 games and are tied with the Knicks and Orlando Magic for the fourth-longest win streak in the league at four games. The problem is that Cleveland has defeated nobodies during this recent run. They haven't won a single game against a team that has clinched a spot in the postseason. In fact, March 3rd was the last time they defeated a bona fide playoff team, when they beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109. Just like last year, it feels like the Cavs will get bounced out of the playoffs when they run into one of the league's upper-echelon teams.

9. Charlotte Hornets (43-37)

The Charlotte Hornets have a legitimate shot to completely avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament and earn a top-six playoff seed in the East. Charlotte is 21-9 since the start of February, which gives them the sixth-highest winning percentage in the NBA during this period (.700). You would think that they would be a good offensive team, and they are, but their forte has actually been on defense. The Hornets have been the third-best defensive team in the league coming out of the NBA All-Star Break, allowing just 105.8 points per game while averaging 46.4 rebounds per contest, which is good for fourth in the league.

10. Atlanta Hawks (45-35)

An argument can be made that no team benefited more from the NBA All-Star Break than the Hawks. Before All-Star Weekend, Atlanta was 26-30. Since then, though, they are 19-5, which gives them the third-best winning percentage in the league during this stretch (.792). The Hawks have put themselves in the playoff picture with a balanced attack that features the sixth-best defense (109.5 points per game allowed) and fourth-best offense (121 points per game) in the NBA since the All-Star Break. We also have to give credit to off-season acquisition Nickeil Walker-Alexander, who is averaging 22.7 points a night, which is good for 13th amongst players who have played in at least 20 games since All-Star Weekend.

11. Orlando Magic (44-36)

Though a case can be made that the Timberwolves are a better team than the Magic, Orlando has been playing better than them as of late. They're on a four-game win streak and have gone 6-2 in their last eight games. Granted, the teams that the Magic have defeated for the most part have been terrible, but they just secured double-digit wins in back-to-back games over the Pistons and the Timberwolves. That should be a strong indication that this team is headed in the right direction.

12. Minnesota Timberwolves (47-33)

The T-Wolves may have a better record than the Magic, but they have also been much more inconsistent than Orlando, going 10-10 since the beginning of March. Lately, Minnesota is 2-5 over its last seven games, with its lone wins coming against the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks, who have a combined win percentage of .275 this season. At the same time, the Timberwolves have struggled against playoff-caliber opponents with losses to Detroit, Charlotte, and Orlando. None of this should be all that surprising because Anthony Edwards has only played one game since March 17th. Though there is hope that Ant will return before the playoffs, as reported by The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.

13. Los Angeles Lakers (51-29)

Remember that period of time when Luka Dončić looked like the league MVP, and the Lakers were playing like the best team in the NBA? Well, things have taken a turn for the worse in LA. Dončić is dealing with a hamstring injury that could force him to miss playoff games. Plus, key contributor Austin Reaves could be out until the beginning of May with an oblique injury. Unfortunately for the Lakeshow, their best players are breaking down at the worst possible time, which would explain why they're 1-3 since the start of April.

14. Los Angeles Clippers (41-39)

This season feels like a pretty big missed opportunity for the Clippers because they could've been a top-six seed in the Western Conference had they not gotten off to a horrendous 6-21 start. Since December 18th, LA has the sixth-best winning percentage in the NBA (.648) and a 35-19 record. It's too bad that they're only going to be a Play-In because that means there's a chance they miss the playoffs. That would be a real shame considering Kawhi Leonard is fourth in the league in scoring since the All-Star Break. This just proves that the games you play in October and November really matter. If the Cippers had been better early in the season, they probably would've avoided the Play-In Tournament altogether.

15. Toronto Raptors (45-35)

The Raptors continue to not just stay afloat in the East but exceed expectations. Though they have been streaky, Toronto has still managed to post a 13-12 record since the All-Star Game. They have important wins over other teams in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. They swept the Miami Heat 4-0 in their season series and recently crushed the Magic to win that series 2-1. They’ve fallen to the best teams in the league in recent weeks with losses against the Celtics, Pistons, and Nuggets, but the Raptors are feisty and should probably avoid the Play-In Tournament as the fifth or sixth seed in the East.

16. Phoenix Suns (44-36)

There was a stretch in mid-March where things looked bleak after five straight losses, but the Suns have kind of turned things around, going 5-4 in their last nine games. The problem is that they have lost to basically every good team they have faced during that stretch, outside of the Toronto Raptors. Their issues have been on the road, where the Suns have gone 5-7 since the All-Star Break, giving them the ninth-lowest win percentage in the league during that period (.417). As a lock to make the Play-In, it doesn't seem like the Suns will go very far in the postseason, even if they manage to qualify for the playoffs.

17. Portland Trail Blazers (40-40)

As the only team in the league that is currently .500, Portland has exceeded expectations for this season by qualifying for the Play-In Tournament. Even if they lose their last two games of the season, it will be an improvement over last year, when the Trail Blazers went 36-46. They're actually tied with the Timberwolves for the 14th-best win percentage in the league since All-Star Weekend (.542). Also, they seem to have a budding young star in forward Deni Avdija, who is tied for 15th in scoring this season (24 points per game). Things are looking up in the Northwest.

18. Golden State Warriors (37-43)

Golden State managed to weather the storm with the extended absence of Stephen Curry and is now guaranteed a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Warriors are 4-5 over their last nine games and have gone 1-2 since Steph returned to the lineup on April 5th. Now that he and Kristaps Porzingis are playing at the same time, this could be a sneakily dangerous Play-In team. After all, Curry hasn't had to push himself yet, averaging 25.5 minutes per game since returning to the court. Golden State will use the last two games of the season to ramp up Curry's activity before unleashing the beast in the postseason.

19. Philadelphia 76ers (43-37)

Who cares if this team is six games above .500 when they might not have their best player for the postseason? Superstar center Joel Embiid had emergency surgery performed after he was diagnosed with appendicitis, and it's unclear when he'll return to the court. Even before this illness, the 76ers weren't setting the world on fire, going 5-5 in their last ten games. They're in the midst of a three-game losing streak after falling to three Championship-caliber opponents in the Pistons, Spurs, and Rockets. Things were already looking bleak for Philly. But if Joel Embiid can't go in the postseason, then there's no chance this team makes it out of the Play-In.

20. Miami Heat (41-39)

Maybe Miami has been on cruise control for a few weeks because the team knew they were going to qualify for the Play-In Tournament. That might explain why the Heat are 3-10 in their last 13 outings. Regardless, they're slumping at arguably the worst possible time. They only have two games left on their schedule to get things figured out, or they will almost certainly fall in the Play-In Tournament, considering they've lost recently to Charlotte, Orlando, and Toronto. Even their defense has somehow gotten worse, allowing 123.7 points per game since March 1st, the fourth-highest mark in the NBA.

21. New Orleans Pelicans (26-54)

Now, we're getting down to the nitty-gritty as we rank the ten worst teams in the NBA that have all been eliminated from postseason contention. Though the Pels are 1-8 in their last nine games, they actually haven't been horrible in the back half of the season, going 11-13 since the NBA All-Star Game. They're probably tanking right now, which explains how they lost eight games in a row before beating the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Either way, this has been another lost season for the Pelicans, who are not bad enough to have one of the worst records in the league and simultaneously not good enough to even sniff the Play-In Tournament.

22. Chicago Bulls (31-49)

For the first time in years, the Bulls made a pair of good decisions by firing executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on Monday. Maybe that top-level change will be the spark that the Bulls needed since they're 2-0 so far this week? Just kidding. Chicago is terrible at basketball. They only won two games because they had back-to-back matchups with the Washington Wizards, who are the worst team in the NBA. They can rectify this season by getting a top-four pick in the NBA Draft, and that seems unlikely given they have a 16.9% chance of that happening, according to Tankathon.

23. Milwaukee Bucks (31-49)

In all likelihood, Giannis Antetokounmpo has played his last game as a member of the Bucks. Since he was shut down for the season, Milwaukee has gone 3-10, with its lone wins coming over a fringe playoff team in the Suns and two bottom-feeders in the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. The reason they're not ranked lower is that they have beaten the other teams that occupy the final few spots on our list. Unfortunately, it feels like this version of the Bucks is what Milwaukee fans will have to look forward to next season.

24. Sacramento Kings 21-59)

Ever since they ended that 16-game losing streak, the Kings have not been horrible. They're 9-13 since February 22nd, which gives them a winning percentage of .409. That's better than what the Mavs, Bucks, Bulls, and even the Warriors have done during that stretch. We know that this team is a mess, but considering where they were just a couple of months ago compared to now, this season will end on a somewhat positive note. Right?

25. Dallas Mavericks (25-55)

The Mavs obviously stink, considering they have the sixth-worst record in the NBA since All-Star Weekend (6-20). Unlike pretty much every other Lottery team this season besides the Indiana Pacers, Dallas has a bright future with expected Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg leading the charge. This kid is already one of the better players in the NBA, averaging 21 points per game, which is good for 24th in the league. Hell, Flagg is averaging more points this season than Zion Williamson, LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns, and LaMelo Ball. At least Mavs fans can feel good about the next few years.

26. Indiana Pacers (19-61)

It's crazy to have a 19-win team not ranked lower, but Indy has actually been playing a little better ever since they snapped their 16-game skid. The Pacers are 4-6 in their last ten matchups and have wins over respectable teams like the Heat and the Magic. We should also give Pascal Siakam credit. He has chosen not to tank this season, averaging 24 points per game, which is tied for 15th in the NBA.

27. Brooklyn Nets (20-60)

This team is almost completely devoid of talent. I can't name a single player on their roster. Can you? They're far and away the worst offensive team in the NBA, averaging 103 points per game since the beginning of March. Over the course of the entire 2025-26 campaign, they rank last in scoring with 106 points per game, 4.5 fewer than the next closest team.

28. Memphis Grizzlies (25-55)

This group has five wins since All-Star Weekend and has gone 2-19 in its last 21 games. The crazy part is that they haven't been awful offensively during this stretch, averaging 113.6 points per game since March 1st, good for 23rd in the league. The problem is their defense, which has allowed the third-most points per game during this stretch (126.4).

29. Utah Jazz (21-59)

With only three wins since the All-Star Break, the Jazz are clearly tanking to improve their odds of landing a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. Utah is in the middle of a ten-game losing streak and has a 1-14 record in its last 15 outings. They're also the worst defensive team in the league, allowing 126.3 points per game, which is 1.7 more points than the next closest squad.

30. Washington Wizards (17-63)

When we talk about actively tanking in the NBA, we have to give the Wizards their flowers. Nobody has been worse since the All-Star Break than them. Heading into NBA All-Star Weekend, Washington was 14-39. Since then, they are 3-24, with two of those wins coming against Indiana on February 19th and 20th. Since February 21st, they are 1-24. This has to be on purpose because over the course of an 82-game season, I've never seen a team go one for 25. In the unlikely event that the Wizards are trying their best, then this team should be relegated to the G-League.