{"id":99893,"date":"2026-04-07T00:48:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T03:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/nba-regular-season-biggest-questions-what-to-watch-in-final-week\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T00:49:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T03:49:02","slug":"nba-regular-season-biggest-questions-what-to-watch-in-final-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/nba-regular-season-biggest-questions-what-to-watch-in-final-week\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA regular season: Biggest questions, what to watch in final week"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

The 2025-26 NBA regular season<\/a> is officially coming to a close, but no need to worry, playoff basketball<\/a> is just around the corner. The seeding races<\/a> in both the East and the West are beginning to heat up, with play-in tournament and first-round matchups becoming clearer every day.<\/p>\n

Five teams in the West have guaranteed their spots<\/a> in the playoffs, with the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> clinching the division for the third season in a row and on a quest to become the first repeat champions since 2018. In the East, four teams have clinched a playoff berth, with the play-in picture still being decided in the last remaining days of the season.<\/p>\n

Our NBA insiders break down the biggest things to watch in the last few days of the regular season, including which postseason seeding races will come down to the wire, what last-minute award campaigning we should keep our eyes on and even which lottery-bound teams are doing in their last week of basketball.<\/p>\n

What’s the most important thing left to be decided in the East playoff race?<\/h2>\n

The one thing that’s certain at the top of the East playoff picture is that the Detroit Pistons<\/a>, despite losing Cade Cunningham<\/a> for the final few weeks of the regular season with a collapsed lung, will finish with the top seed in the conference. After that? Good luck. The Boston Celtics<\/a> are likely to wrap up the second spot, though they still have some work to do to officially lock it in. The New York Knicks<\/a> and Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> will likely go right down to the season’s final days before deciding who will finish third and fourth, respectively, and the Atlanta Hawks<\/a>, the likely fifth-place finisher right now, will play a part in that.<\/p>\n

Atlanta hosts New York on Monday, and then has a home-and-home with Cleveland on Wednesday and Friday. How those games play out will go a long way toward determining which team will face the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> and Toronto Raptors<\/a> are tied for the sixth and final spot in the East standings with four games to go — and with Toronto’s home loss to the Sacramento Kings<\/a> looming large as a game that could prove costly by the end of next week. — Tim Bontemps<\/i><\/p>\n\n

What’s the biggest question for the current East play-in teams?<\/h2>\n

Is there a potential play-in team that can make noise in the postseason? If the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> end up in the play-in, they would be the most dangerous team that could come out of it. After a 16-28 start, the Hornets have been surging since January and have beaten the likes of the Thunder, San Antonio Spurs<\/a> and Boston. LaMelo Ball<\/a> and Brandon Miller<\/a> are healthy and motivated. Kon Knueppel<\/a> has been fearless and is a Rookie of the Year favorite.<\/p>\n

Remember the Feb. 9 fight<\/a> between the Hornets and Pistons? The Hornets surely still do. If Cade Cunningham<\/a> (collapsed lung<\/a>) isn’t back to full strength, the Hornets could be a first-round challenger. And if the Hornets face the Celtics, coach Charles Lee is very familiar with the Celtics as a former Boston assistant. The Hornets could be a tough out despite their lack of playoff experience, given how explosive and random their offense can be and how confident they’ve been since January. — Ohm Youngmisuk<\/i><\/p>\n