Record weekend for Cooper Flagg: check ✅
An epic final week of the regular season: coming up next 👀
Only six days remain in the regular season – and while the 20-team postseason field is set, almost everything else is not.
With the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament tipping off next Tuesday and the Playoffs opening April 18, see what’s trending – and what’s at stake – this week ⬇️
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
April 6, 2026
What’s Trending: Everything to know for the final week of the regular season
What’s Next: A stacked national slate amid a jam-packed postseason sprint
Sunday’s Best: Flagg outduels LeBron in record encore, Rockets edge Steph’s Dubs, Thunder roll
East Dubs: Jays lift C’s (again), Mitchell goes off, Hornets stay humming, Magic rally late
Roundup: Book cooks, Clips climb to No. 8 out West, Bucks & Nets win
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The postseason is nearly here…
Five games tip off tonight, starting with Knicks-Hawks on Peacock (7 ET | Tap to Watch).
Postseason Countdown: The SoFi Play-In Tournament is just eight days away. See the current Playoff Picture here and more key dates below:
- Sunday, April 12: Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
- Tuesday, April 14-17: SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
- Saturday, April 18: NBA Playoffs begin
1. WHAT’S TRENDING: THE FINAL POSTSEASON PUSH STARTS NOW
Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
Six. Days.
That’s all that’s left in the regular season to determine 19 of the 20 postseason seeds.
The 20-team postseason field is set. The Pistons have locked up the East’s No. 1 seed. And while multiple teams have clinched Playoff and Play-In berths, the postseason bracket remains fluid.
In other words, there are just six days left to determine…
- Homecourt advantage in the First Round of the Playoffs (seeds 1-4)
- Two more guaranteed Playoff spots (seeds 5-6)
- A win-and-in SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament game (seeds 7-8)
- Homecourt in a win-or-go-home Play-In game (seeds 9-10)
Where The West Stands: Five of the West’s six guaranteed Playoff spots are claimed (OKC, SAS, LAL, DEN, HOU), but seeding remains in flux, with Minnesota and Phoenix also in the hunt.
Race For No. 1: Eyeing the top seed for a third straight year, OKC sits 3 games up on San Antonio for 1st in the West.
- Thunder Rolling: OKC (62-16) has won five straight, looking for back-to-back 65+ win seasons for the first time in franchise history
- Spurs Surging: San Antonio (59-15) saw its 11-game win streak snapped by Denver on Saturday, but is an NBA-best 27-3 since Feb. 1, seeking its first 60-win season since 2016-17
- Kia MVP Ladder: Two scorching superstars are driving both squads, with Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander atop Shaun Powell’s latest Kia MVP Ladder in a loaded race
- Kia Rookie Ladder: The Kia Rookie Ladder is also red-hot, with Cooper Flagg (No. 2) coming off a historic weekend (see Sec. 3 ⬇️), while Kon Knueppel (No. 1) fuels the surging Hornets
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Wild West Sprint: With Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) out for the rest of the regular season, LeBron James will look to keep the 3rd-place Lakers ahead of Nikola Jokić’s streaking Nuggets – winners of eight straight – with the Rockets also scorching.
- Mile-High Monday: Both at 50-28, Denver sits a tiebreaker behind Los Angeles and hosts Portland tonight (9 ET, League Pass), seeking a ninth straight win
- To Make It 8 Straight? Jokić, who ranks 3rd on Powell’s Kia MVP Ladder, delivered an ace (40 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast, 0 TO) to outduel Wemby (34 pts, 18 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk) in Saturday’s OT thriller
- Here Comes Houston: One game behind Denver are the Rockets, riding a six-game heater – the second-longest win streak in the NBA
- Wolves Lurking: Three games back sits Minnesota, which holds a 3-game lead on Phoenix for the final guaranteed Playoff spot
- Play-In Push: Seeds 8-10 – the Clippers, Blazers and Warriors – are locked into the Play-In, but are still fighting for position, with LA and Portland (each 40-38) separated by tiebreaker
East Heat: On Saturday, the Pistons secured the East’s No. 1 seed for the first time since 2006-07. Behind them sit Boston (2nd), New York (3rd) and Cleveland (4th). All four squads have won at least seven of their last 10.
- Cavs Push For 3: Cleveland is just 1 GB of New York and will look to chip away tonight in Memphis (8 ET, League Pass)
- Soaring Hawks: Atlanta has surged into 5th, owning an East-best 21-6 record since Feb. 1 and sitting 2 games up on 6th-place Philly
- Pivotal Peacock Tilt: Tonight, the Hawks seek a fifth straight win as they host the Knicks on Peacock (7 ET)
- Clustered Chaos: Seeds 6-10 in the East (PHI, TOR, CHA, ORL, MIA) are separated by just two games, with 9th-place Orlando 1 GB of Philly and 1 game up on 10th-place Miami
- Tonight on League Pass, the Magic host the Pistons (7 ET), while the Sixers visit the Spurs (8 ET)
2. WHAT’S NEXT: HIGH STAKES AMID A STACKED NATIONAL SLATE
After tonight’s top-five East duel between New York and Atlanta on NBA TV (7 ET), the final week of the regular season delivers more national games packed with postseason implications.
Coast 2 Coast Tuesday (NBC): The Celtics (33-13) lead the East in wins since Jan. 1, while the Hornets (32-14) are tied for second.
They meet tomorrow in Boston to open NBC’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday (8 ET), before the Rockets seek a seventh straight win, visiting the Suns (8 PT).
Wednesday On ESPN: If the Playoffs started today, Cleveland and Atlanta would meet in the East’s 4 vs. 5 matchup. They’ll duel Wednesday on ESPN (7 ET), before the Blazers visit Wemby’s Spurs (9:30 ET), with Portland eyeing homecourt in the West Play-In.
Thursday On Prime: The East’s No. 2 & 3 seeds collide as the Celtics visit the Knicks (7:30 ET), with New York 3 GB of Boston. Then, Steph Curry and LeBron James go head-to-head as the Warriors welcome the Lakers (10 ET).
Full Friday: All 30 teams take the floor on Friday, headlined by a Prime doubleheader as the Cavs and Hawks run it back (7 ET), before Anthony Edwards and the 6th-place Wolves visit the 5th-place Rockets in a pivotal showdown (9:30 ET).
Sunday Finale: After no games Saturday, the final day of the regular season delivers 15 more matchups – all on League Pass – setting up a stacked finale.
3. SUNDAY’S BEST: FLAGG MAKES HISTORY, HOUSTON & OKC STAY HOT
Two nights after becoming the first teenager to score 50+ points in a game, Cooper Flagg made more history Sunday – joining one all-time great while dueling another.
Mavericks 134, Lakers 128: In a landmark moment, Flagg (22 pts) and LeBron James (26 pts) marked the first game in NBA history where a 40+ year old and a player under 20 both scored 20+ pts in the same game.
That was at halftime. By night’s end, Flagg (19y, 105d) had 45 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, becoming the youngest player to post 45/5/5 in a game while leading the Mavs past LeBron (30 pts, 9 reb, 15 ast) and the Lakers. | Recap
- Coop & Wilt: After dropping a career-high 51 on Saturday, Flagg becomes the first rookie to score 96+ points over a two-game span since Wilt Chamberlain in 1960
- All-Time Encore: Flagg is also the youngest player to post back-to-back 45-point games, and it’s his fourth 40-piece of the season
- Coop & LeBron: That moves him past James (3) for the most 40-balls by a teenager in NBA history
- “I was a little kid watching him go through his whole career,” said Flagg on facing LeBron postgame. “It’s a dream come true … to match up against somebody like that … it’s incredible.”
Generations Collide: While LeBron is the NBA’s oldest player, Flagg is the youngest – separated by 22 years, but connected by style.
Both entered the league at 18 as No. 1 picks. Both were handed the ball early. And both built their games not just on scoring, but on playmaking – seeing the floor, creating for others and controlling the tempo.
That showed Sunday, as James and Flagg each filled the box score across the board – flashing familiar all-around games, built two decades apart.
- “I love what he’s doing. I love what he’s bringing to this franchise,” said James of Flagg postgame. “I think it’s great to put the ball in somebody’s hands…
- “My rookie year, I basically started at point guard early on … so, I see similarities in that on the basketball floor.”
To wrap NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball, Steph Curry returned with a chance to win it at the buzzer – but the streaking Rockets stood tall.
Rockets 117, Warriors 116: Back from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury, Curry (29 pts, 4 ast, 5 3s) sparked a 24-9 run to erase a 14-point 4th quarter deficit, giving Golden State the lead with 20 seconds left.
But Alperen Sengun (24 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast) answered with a go-ahead bucket with 11 ticks left, and Curry’s potential game-winner at the buzzer just missed, securing Houston’s sixth straight win. | Recap
- Core Delivers: Kevin Durant (31 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) led the way, while Jabari Smith Jr. (23 pts, 9 reb) and Amen Thompson (18 pts, 7 ast) combined for 41
- “We had the game in control, then they put No. 30 in the game,” said Durant of Curry postgame. “Good test for us, and glad we came out with the W.”
Also rolling: the reigning champs.
Thunder 146, Jazz 111: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (20 pts, 7 ast, 7-10 FG) extended his record 20-point game streak to 138 consecutive games, while Chet Holmgren was a force on both ends (21 pts, 7 reb, 4 blk) as OKC topped Brice Sensabaugh (34 pts, 5 ast, 6 3s) and Utah for a fifth straight win. | Recap
- Rolling: The Thunder are 16-1 in their last 17 games and have lost just twice since the All-Star break
- Winning Formula: It starts defensively as they’re on pace to rank 1st in DefRtg, points off turnovers and NetRtg for a second straight season
- Steady Shai: SGA (31.4 ppg, 55.2 FG%) leads the way offensively, on track for his fourth consecutive season averaging 30+ points on at least 50% shooting – a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Michael Jordan (1988-1992)
4. EAST DUBS: CELTICS, CAVS & HORNETS STAY HOT, MAGIC RALLY
The Jays are cooking, and the C’s keep winning.
Celtics 115, Raptors 101: Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 26 points, while Jayson Tatum stuffed the stat sheet (23 pts, 13 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl), beating Toronto for Boston’s sixth win in seven games. | Recap
- Full Stride: The C’s are 10-2 in their last 12, with Brown posting 30.3 ppg in that span and Tatum averaging a double-double (22 pts, 11.1 reb, 5.6 ast)
- ⬆️ Sixers To 6: The win gives Boston a 4-game lead over New York for 2nd, while Philly jumped Toronto for 6th
Two straight wins for Cleveland, one serious shake for Spida.
Cavaliers 117, Pacers 108: Donovan Mitchell put on a show (38 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) alongside James Harden (28 pts, 7 ast, 5 3s), as the Cavs used a 27-17 4th quarter to race past Indy, moving just 1 GB of the Knicks with their eighth win in 10 games. | Recap
- Stars Clicking: Amid the 8-2 run, Mitchell (25.4 pts, 4.3 ast) and Harden (22.1 pts, 8.2 ast) are combining for 47.5 pts and 12.5 ast per game
David Sherman + Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images
Hornets 122, Wolves 108: LaMelo Ball drilled seven 3s en route to 35 points and 8 dimes, while Miles Bridges also cooked (25 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast), as the Hornets pulled past Julius Randle (26 pts, 8 reb) and the Wolves, who were without Anthony Edwards (knee). | Recap
- Humming: Charlotte has won four straight and is 17-5 since Feb. 22. In that span, it ranks 1st in OffRtg (123.7), NetRtg (+14.7) and made 3s (18.8)
Magic 112, Pelicans 108: Down 94-84 early in the 4th, Desmond Bane (27 pts, 6 reb) and Paolo Banchero (23 pts, 16 reb, 6 ast) sparked a 14-2 Orlando run, with Bane hitting the go-ahead 3 before sealing the win late at the line. | Recap
- Bane Time: Bane scored 14 in the 4th, while Saddiq Bey (32 pts, 6 reb) led NOLA
5. ROUNDUP: SUNS REBOUND, CLIPS CLIMB, BUCKS & NETS DUB
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Suns 120, Bulls 110: Devin Booker dropped 30, while Jalen Green added 25 as the Suns pulled past Tre Jones (29 pts, 6 ast) and the Bulls with an 11-2 closing run to end a two-game slide, moving 3 GB of Minnesota for 6th in the West. | Recap
Clippers 138, Kings 109: Kawhi Leonard (26 pts, 6 reb) and John Collins (25 pts, 4 3s) combined for 51 points as the Clips earned a wire-to-wire win over Sacramento, jumping Portland for 8th in the West. | Recap
- Clips Turnaround: At 40-38, LA is on pace to become the first team ever to finish above .500 after a 6-21 start
- DeMar Passes Big O: With 9 points, DeMar DeRozan passed Oscar Robertson (26,710) for 16th on the all-time scoring list
Bucks 131, Grizzlies 115: Rayan Rupert (33 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast) became the third Grizzly in franchise history to record a 30-point triple-double, but Ryan Rollins (24 pts), Cormac Ryan (21 pts, 5 stl) and the Bucks were too much, as Milwaukee pulled away. | Recap
Nets 121, Wizards 115: Will Riley dropped 30 points and 6 dimes for the Wiz, but fellow rookie Nolan Traore (career-high 23 pts, 7 ast, career-high 5 3s) sparked a 20-10 closing run to lift Brooklyn past Washington. | Recap
