Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game Highlights (1:11)Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game Highlights (1:11)
ESPN staffMar 31, 2026, 10:55 AM ETMultiple Authors
The best matchups in the NBA on Tuesday, when it comes to the playoff races, will pit postseason teams from the East against their counterparts from the West. The Phoenix Suns will head to Florida to take on the Orlando Magic in a battle of two teams trying to elevate to sixth in their respective conferences and get out of the play-in race. However, both teams have less than a 5% chance of doing so, per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.
The New York Knicks, who clinched a top-six playoff spot Monday night, face the Houston Rockets, who are looking to fend off Phoenix for sixth in the West.
And in one of the later games of the night, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers welcome his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, to Crypto.com Arena, with the winner of that game clinching a playoff berth.
Here’s a look at the current and projected NBA playoff picture, the most important games left in the regular season and how the race for the No. 1 pick in June’s draft is shaping up:
Jump to a section: Current playoff matchups Today’s schedule | Friday’s scores Clinching scenarios | Critical remaining games Projected standings | Race for No. 1 pick
The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first four picks. All 14 teams that fail to make the playoffs are eligible to move up to the top four. After the order of the top four picks is set via the draw, the remainder of the first round is set in inverse order of the teams’ regular-season records. The three teams with the worst records each have an equal 14% chance of winning the lottery, with the odds for the non-playoff teams decreasing from there.
Among the projected lottery teams, there are multiple trades that could impact picks. The Atlanta Hawks will get the better of the picks from the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks, with the lesser of the two picks going to Milwaukee. If the Indiana Pacers’ pick falls between five and nine, it will go to the LA Clippers. The Utah Jazz will send their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside the top eight.
The Portland Trail Blazers will send their pick to the Chicago Bulls if it falls outside the lottery (if they make the playoffs through the play-in tournament). The Washington Wizards’ pick is top-eight protected, and the probability of their selection ending up ninth or worse is extremely low.
Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game Highlights (1:11)Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game Highlights (1:11)
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD 2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD 3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks 4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
7. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Orlando Magic 9. Miami Heat vs. 10. Charlotte Hornets Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD 2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD 3. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 6. Houston Rockets 4. Denver Nuggets vs. 5. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. LA Clippers 9. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 10. Golden State Warriors Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
Suns at Magic, 7 p.m. ET Hornets at Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET Raptors at Pistons, 8 p.m. ET Knicks at Rockets, 8 p.m. ET (NBC) Mavericks at Bucks, 8 p.m. ET Cavaliers at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET Trail Blazers at Clippers, 11 p.m. ET (NBC)
Heat 119, 76ers 109 Hawks 112, Celtics 102 Suns 131, Grizzlies 105 Spurs 129, Bulls 114 Timberwolves 124, Mavericks 94 Cavaliers 122, Jazz 113 Thunder 114, Pistons 110 (OT) Lakers 120, Wizards 101
The Cleveland Cavaliers clinch a playoff spot with a win.
The Detroit Pistons clinch the Central Division with a win or a Cavaliers loss.
The Denver Nuggets clinch a playoff spot with a Phoenix Suns loss.
The LA Clippers would be locked into the play-in tournament with a loss and a Houston Rockets win.
The Los Angeles Lakers clinch a playoff spot and the Pacific Division with a win or a Suns loss.
Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game Highlights (1:11)
ESPN staffMar 31, 2026, 10:55 AM ETMultiple Authors