The 2026 NBA postseason kicks off Tuesday in a pretty straightforward way: teams scramble, fans hold their breath, and the play-in tournament decides who gets to start talking about “seeding” instead of “survival.” Our NBA experts are picking Tuesday’s games, plus every play-in showdown and first-round series.
Night one of the play-in begins with the Charlotte Hornets hosting the Miami Heat, and the Phoenix Suns hosting the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s the kind of two-game slate that can feel louder than the standings suggest—like the arena’s buzzing even before tip-off. One small detail you notice if you’ve ever been around a gym at this stage: the air has that mix of hot popcorn and fresh paint from newly renovated corners.
For the East play-in, the Orlando Magic face the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup that’s almost entirely leaning toward Philly. In the experts’ tally, Misryoum’s picks come out 76ers 7, Magic 6—close enough that you can see arguments for both sides, but clearly a lean toward the better path to the 8-seed.
Then it’s the Hornets vs. Heat, and again the majority are betting on the team closer to the top of the group. The final tally lands Hornets 10, Heat 3, with most picks siding with Charlotte. And if you’re thinking “so it’s just the Hornets moving on,” maybe—actually, the play-in’s known for being messy, even when everyone thinks they’ve figured out the script. Still, the spreadsheet doesn’t lie, at least not in these selections.
Over in the West, the Phoenix Suns take on the Portland Trail Blazers, with the experts’ picks swinging heavily toward Phoenix. The final tally shows Suns 10, Trail Blazers 3, which is a big margin for something that’s supposed to be one step away from the bracket. A lot can change in a single night, sure, but the predictions here aren’t exactly hedged.
The other West play-in matchup is the LA Clippers against the Golden State Warriors, and this is where the gap gets wider in the eyes of Misryoum’s NBA experts. The tally ends Clippers 11, Warriors 2—so yeah, a near-consensus. From there, the first round is where the forecasts turn into series-length bets.
In the Eastern first round, New York Knicks (3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6) is predicted to be all Knicks in the tally: Knicks 12, Hawks 0. Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Toronto Raptors (5) is also a sweep in the expert view—Cavaliers 12, Raptors 0—though the individual series-length picks vary a bit. Meanwhile, in the Western first round, Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6) is expected to lean Denver: Nuggets 12, Timberwolves 0. And the Lakers (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5) matchup goes even harder toward Houston in the total, with Rockets 12, Lakers 0.
What it all adds up to is a postseason where the play-in might still surprise you, but the early consensus is pretty clear: Misryoum’s experts are expecting the “safer” outcomes to stack in the first round, with the play-in serving as the main stress test before bigger stakes kick in—at least until Tuesday proves everyone wrong. Or right.
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