Jonathan Kuminga and the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Cavaliers to move into the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference Friday. A high-flying Friday decided four more postseason seeds. Coming up Sunday? A regular season finale stacked with suspense, with 15 games tipping off — 2 on ESPN — and 10 seeds still up for grabs.

1. PLAYOFF PICTURE: FRIDAY’S IMPACTS & WHAT’S STILL AT STAKE SUNDAY

What we learned from Friday’s 15-game slate:

• The 5th-place Hawks clinched a Playoff spot, with a 1 game lead over the 6th-place Raptors
• The Raptors dropped from 5th to 6th, holding the East’s final Playoff spot via tiebreaker over the 7th-place Magic, and stayed 1 game up on the 8th-place Sixers
• The Hornets remained in 9th and are locked into the SoFi NBA Play-in Tournament, a game up on the 10-seed Heat
• The East’s top-4 is now set, with the Celtics clinching the 2nd seed, and the Knicks and Cavaliers slotting behind
• The Nuggets earned their 11th straight win to remain in 3rd place, a game up on the victorious 4th-place Lakers
• The Rockets’ eight-game win streak ended, locking them into the West’s 5-seed
• The Blazers’ win moved them above the Clippers for 8th via a better conference record, as both teams are 41-40 and split their season series 2-2

What’s at stake Sunday in the regular-season finale after today’s off-day:

• 3 Teams, 1 Spot: The Raptors, Magic and Sixers all have a shot at the East’s final Playoff spot:
  • Raptors: Win and in, it’s that simple. Toronto can also move up to 5th with help
  • Magic: Can clinch 6th with a win and a Raptors loss
  • Sixers: Can clinch 6th with a win and losses from the Raptors and Magic
• A Hornets win would secure home court vs. the Heat in the 9/10 Play-In game. A Heat win and a Hornets loss would give Miami the 9-seed and home court
• A Hawks win clinches the 5-seed and a date with the Cavs in the First Round. A Hawks loss and a Raptors win would move Atlanta to 6th, facing the Knicks
• If the Nuggets close the season on a 12-game winning streak, they’d secure 3rd
• If the Lakers win and the Nuggets lose, L.A. claims the 3-seed via tiebreaker, while Denver drops to 4th
• If the Blazers win, they’ll finish 8th and visit the Suns in the SoFi NBA Play-in Tournament
• The Clippers need a win and a Blazers loss to jump back into 8th. Otherwise, they’ll host the Warriors in the West’s 9/10 game

In tomorrow’s Starting 5, we’ll break down every potential scenario for Sunday’s 15-game slate to close out the regular season.

Up Next: The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament tips off on Tuesday.

• Tuesday: No. 7 vs. No. 8 in each conference with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the Playoffs and the loser living to play on Friday
• Wednesday: No. 9 vs. No. 10 in each conference with the winner still alive and loser eliminated
• Friday: 7/8 Loser vs. 9/10 Winner in each conference face off – the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the Playoffs

One Week Away: The 2026 NBA Playoffs presented by Google tip off on Saturday, April 18

2. SUPERSTARS SHINE AS WEST PLAYOFF SEEDING TAKES SHAPE

As the last team to have beaten the Rockets, Minnesota bookended Houston’s eight-game win streak Friday with another clutch takedown.

Wolves 136, Rockets 132: Terrence Shannon Jr. (23 pts, 5 3s) led Minnesota scorers for a second straight game, this time pacing seven Wolves in double figures, overcoming a career-high 41 from Amen Thompson (9 reb, 7 ast) and 33 more from Kevin Durant. | Recap

• Anthony Edwards (22 pts) and KD dueled back-and-forth in the 3rd, each netting 12 points, with Houston building a 10-point lead and Minnesota erasing it in under 3 minutes with a 15-4 run
• The Wolves ran again in the 4th, taking their own 10-point lead with a 27-12 flurry. And with that edge cut to 4 with under a minute to play, Ant’s triple sealed the win
• “I was kinda cold, but it felt good to hit that one at the end,” Ant said after pleading his case for a jersey swap with KD, who had another noteworthy outing. Durant surpassed 2,000 points in a season for the 8th time, tied for 5th-most 2K+ point seasons ever. This is the first in NBA history for a player age 37 or older
• More History In Houston: Thompson logged the Rockets’ first-ever 40+/5+/5+ game with 75+% shooting, going 17-for-22 (77.3 FG%) from the floor
• Amen & The Dream: He also joined Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in franchise history to score 40+ points on at least 75% shooting before age 24

The 6-seed Wolves’ win, paired with wins by Denver and L.A., locked the Rockets into the West’s 5th seed. On the second night of a back-to-back, with seeding on the line, LeBron James set the tone early. L.A. reaped the benefits, securing a top-4 seed for home court advantage in the Western Conference’s first round of the playoffs.

Lakers 101, Suns 73: LeBron (28 pts, 6 reb, 12 ast, 4 stl) scored or assisted on nine of the Lakers’ first 10 field goals on the way to a 14-point 1st quarter and 16-point lead, as L.A. held Phoenix to season-lows with a 25-point 2nd half and 73-point total. | Recap

• King’s Streak: James tallied 54 points on 63.6% shooting (21-33) in back-to-back wins, and is the first player age 40 or older to log three straight games with 25+ points and 10+ assists
• “I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past,” James said postgame. “I’m just trying to feed off my teammates.”
• Feeding History: Among the opening flurry was the 12,000th assist of LeBron’s career, becoming just the fourth player ever to reach that milestone

Denver showcased its depth to stay ahead a game up on the Lakers in 3rd.

Nuggets 127, Thunder 107: Jonas Valančiūnas (17 reb) and Branden Carlson (12 reb) each scored season-highs of 23 points to lead their squads, with Denver’s 21-5 start to a 37-22 4th quarter making the difference to clinch home court advantage in its 11th straight win. | Recap

• Driver’s Seat: A 12th straight win Sunday in San Antonio to finish the regular season would clinch the 3-seed for Denver and lock the Lakers into 4th

Victor Wembanyama (ribs) was strong in his return Friday, dropping 40 on fellow top-pick Cooper Flagg’s Mavs for the second time this season.

Spurs 139, Mavericks 120: Wemby (40 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast) and Flagg (33 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) dueled early, with 16 points in the 1st quarter and 24 in the half for Wemby, and 16 in the 2nd and 25 before halftime for Coop. De’Aaron Fox (18 pts, 10 ast) then took over with 14 points in a 40-point Spurs 3rd that decided the game. | Recap

• Alongside The Admiral: Wemby joined David Robinson as the only Spurs players with multiple 40+/10+/5+ games in franchise history
• Coop, Melo & LBJ: Flagg passed Carmelo Anthony with his 11th 30+ point game as a teenager, 2nd-most ever behind only LeBron (20)

3. EAST PLAYOFF TEAMS LOCK IN SPOTS AND SEEDS

Following four straight seasons in the Play-In tournament, Atlanta has earned a top 6 Eastern Conference seed and a First Round series.

Hawks 124, Cavaliers 102: After CJ McCollum drained six 1st-half triples and piled up 25 of his 29 points by halftime, Atlanta took off with a 35-17 3rd quarter to avenge Wednesday’s loss in Cleveland. | Recap

• TD For DD: Dyson Daniels (13 pts, 10 reb, 12 ast) collected his 2nd-career triple-double, both coming this season
• The Land Will Host: James Harden (20 pts, 5 ast) led the way for Cleveland without Donovan Mitchell (ankle), as the Cavs lock into the East’s 4th seed

With the league’s 3-point leaders needing a win to stay in the mix for a Playoff seed, the East’s top rated defense (108.9) flexed its top-seed strength.

Pistons 118, Hornets 100: Leading by 3 to start the 4th quarter, Detroit’s 18-2 run broke the game open, as the defense held Charlotte to its lowest-scoring quarter (10 pts) of the season. Jalen Duren (20 pts, 9 reb) and Duncan Robinson (19 pts) led the way. | Recap

• One Hot Hornet: LaMelo Ball scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the 1st half, and sank six of Charlotte’s 13 triples (27.7 3P%)
• Historic Hive: Brandon Miller (22 pts) hit two triples to cross the 200 mark, making Charlotte the fourth team in NBA history to have three players make 200+ 3s each in a season (Kon Knueppel: