NBA Play-In Tournament predictions 2026: Expert picks for Warriors vs. Clippers, Sixers vs. Magic, and more

NBA Play-In Tournament predictions 2026: Expert picks for Warriors vs. Clippers, Sixers vs. Magic, and more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament is set to start on Tuesday, April 15th. The Sixers, Magic, Hornets, and Heat will battle it out for the seventh and eighth seeds in the East, while the Suns, Blazers, Clippers, and Warriors do the same in the West.

Any of these teams could conceivably make it through to play the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the conference, given that you only need to play well for one or two games. Stephen Curry has been battling injuries for most of the season, but he will be the biggest star in the tournament and could carry the Warriors on an improbable run. On the other side, the Sixers could be a surprise early exit given that they will be missing Joel Embiid as he recovers from an appendectomy.

These games should be entertaining with the end of the season on the line. Here's who has the edge in each matchup.

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Suns vs. Blazers Play-In prediction

The Blazers have been a feisty team, winning games through a pressure defense that will harass ball handlers for the entire length of the floor. Deni Avdija broke out as an All-Star. His relentless drives have provided just enough offense to squeak out wins.

The Suns should be able to slow Avdija down with their own strong defense. Dillon Brooks has surprisingly been one of their most important players, providing scoring and defense. They looked like a different team as he recovered from a late-season hand injury. Brooks made it back towards the end of the year, and the pesky defender should be good to go.

With Brooks and Devin Booker providing scoring, Most Improved Player dark horse candidate Collin Gillespie contributing a steady hand at point guard, and Jordan Ott continuing his impressive Coach of the Year campaign, the Suns should take advantage of home court to beat the Blazers.

**Prediction:**Suns clinch the No. 7 seed

Clippers vs. Warriors Play-In prediction

It's been a brutal year for the Warriors, who lost Jimmy Butler to an ACL tear and have been missing Curry for long stretches due to ongoing knee issues. Curry has been trying to ramp up for the Play-In tournament, logging 29 minutes in the last game of the regular season, which was against the Clippers. In that Play-In preview, he looked like his old self, but Golden State still lost 115-110.

Curry's knee isn't capable of handling a massive minutes load even for one game. He was a plus-13 in Sunday's game, while the Warriors were outscored by 18 with him on the bench. Golden State doesn't have enough without him.

The Clippers were able to beat the Warriors on Sunday without even having to play Kawhi Leonard, who will be active for Wednesday's matchup. Leonard has been a top-five player this season. He makes the Clippers the clearly better team in this matchup.

Prediction: Clippers win, Warriors eliminated

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Sixers vs. Magic Play-In prediction

The Sixers have been a rollercoaster this season. They looked like dark horse Finals contenders when Embiid was healthy and putting up All-Star scoring numbers again. Unfortunately, Embiid is out for the duration of the Play-In Tournament.

Philadelphia still has a shot to win with Tyrese Maxey, who should make an All-NBA team. Paul George has slid into a good secondary role and is fully healthy after sitting out late in the season due to a 25-game suspension. And VJ Edgecombe has been the third or fourth-best rookie this season.

Despite those three Sixers stars, the Magic are the clearly better team on paper. They're finally healthy, getting Anthony Black and Franz Wagner back for the end of the year. They haven't developed good chemistry, though, because of the constant influx of available players. That showed in a Game 82 loss to the Celtics' third-stringers.

Both of these teams are kind of a mess, but the Magic's health gives them the edge.

**Prediction:**Magic clinch the No. 7 seed

Hornets vs. Heat Play-In prediction

The Hornets have been one of the hottest teams in the East after the All-Star break, going 18-9 in those contests. They're a dynamic offense that utilizes speed, shooting, gritty offensive rebounding, and the dazzling playmaking of LaMelo Ball. Miraculously, coach Charles Lee also has them defending at a reasonable level.

The Heat have gone the other way. After a hot start to the season where they caught teams off guard with their unusual offense predicated on isolations, they've been mediocre the rest of the year. They do have the season edge, taking three of four from Charlotte during the regular season. But two of those wins came early in the season when the Hornets were still figuring things out and the Heat were at their best.

The Hornets have momentum going for them. They're the team that nobody in the playoffs wants to face because of how potent their offense is. This isn't the same Heat defense that we've been accustomed to seeing. They've had leaks all year, which have gotten worse as the year has progressed. They can't fix them now.

Prediction: Hornets win, Heat eliminated

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Sixers vs. Hornets Play-In prediction

Embiid is still going to be missing for this game. Maxey and Edgecombe were Nos. 8 and 11 in minutes played this season. Nick Nurse will have to squeeze everything he can out of them for one more must-win game.

The Hornets have youth on their side. They should be fresher despite getting one less day of rest. And the motor of their big men, particularly Moussa Diabate, are going to be trouble.

The Hornets manufacture extra possessions due to the size of Ryan Kalkbrenner and the hustle of Diabate. The Sixers are one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the league. They have not been a good transition defense all year. This is a bad matchup for them. They did win two of three in the regular season, but all of their wins came with Embiid. They were blown out by 37 points in the game that he missed.

**Prediction:**Hornets clinch the No. 8 seed, Sixers eliminated

Blazers vs. Clippers Play-In prediction

Nobody thought that the Clippers could make it into the playoffs after they started the season 6-21. Ty Lue made an optimistic goal of finishing the year 35-20, and they actually managed to surpass that goal. Even after losing one of their best players in Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline, Los Angeles has rediscovered the formula that made them so good last year.

The Blazers simply don't have that playoff experience or coaching edge that Lue and lead assistant Jeff Van Gundy provide. They've had a nice turnaround from some brutal seasons, but they need more scoring help around Avdija. The Clippers have excellent defenders in Kris Dunn and Leonard who can limit his impact. And Leonard is going to be by far the best player in this game if it gets tight down the stretch.

**Prediction:**Clippers clinch the No. 8 seed, Blazers eliminated