What is the first tiebreaker in the NBA standings?

For two tied teams, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head: the better winning percentage in the regular-season games between them.

How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?

The teams finishing 7th to 10th in each conference play in. The 7th seed hosts the 8th: the winner becomes the No. 7 seed. The 9th hosts the 10th: the loser is eliminated. The loser of 7-vs-8 then hosts the winner of 9-vs-10, and that winner becomes the No. 8 seed.

Does winning a division guarantee a playoff spot?

No. Seeds 1 to 10 in each conference are set by record; a division title only matters as a tiebreaker.

Do NBA Cup games count in the standings?

Yes, group-stage and knockout games count as regular-season games. The Cup championship game does not count in the standings.

Are there tiebreaker games in the NBA?

No. Ties for any position, including the Play-In spots, are settled by the tiebreaker procedure, not by an extra game.

Which teams count as postseason-eligible for NBA tiebreakers?

The relevant conference includes teams that finished with one of its ten best records, including teams tied for those records. This is not limited to the eight teams that ultimately make the playoffs.

What happens if every NBA tiebreaker is still tied?

If the listed criteria do not separate the teams, the NBA procedures call for a random drawing to determine their postseason positions.

Standings explained

NBA tiebreakers and the Play-In, explained

When teams finish with the same record, the NBA does not play extra games: a fixed list of tiebreakers decides the order. Here is that list, how the Play-In Tournament works, and every tie in the latest final standings.

Two tied teams

The criteria are applied in order; the first one that separates the teams decides.

Better winning percentage in games against each other.
A division winner ranks ahead of a team that did not win its division.
Better winning percentage in division games (only if both teams are in the same division).
Better winning percentage in conference games.
Better winning percentage against postseason-eligible teams in its own conference, including teams tied for a top-10 record.
Better winning percentage against postseason-eligible teams in the other conference, including teams tied for a top-10 record.
Better point differential in all games.

Three or more tied teams

Apply these criteria in order. If a criterion separates every team, that order settles the tie. If it separates only some teams, their relative positions are fixed and each remaining tied group restarts from the first criterion, using the two-team or multi-team list as appropriate.

A division winner ranks ahead of teams that did not win a division.
Better winning percentage in all games among the tied teams.
Better winning percentage in division games (only if all tied teams are in the same division).
Better winning percentage in conference games.
Better winning percentage against postseason-eligible teams in its own conference, including teams tied for a top-10 record.
Better point differential in all games.

Details that can change a tiebreaker scenario

Resolve ties for division winners first. That preliminary result determines the division winner only; it does not automatically settle another seeding tie. A division-winner comparison can apply even when the tied teams are in different divisions.

For the postseason-eligible opponent tests, include teams with a top-10 conference record and teams tied for those records, not just the eventual eight playoff teams. If every listed criterion remains tied, the NBA uses a random drawing.

How the Play-In Tournament works

Seeds 1 to 6 in each conference go straight to the playoffs. Seeds 7 to 10 play in:

No. 7 hosts No. 8. The winner is the No. 7 seed.
No. 9 hosts No. 10. The loser is eliminated.
The loser of 7-vs-8 hosts the winner of 9-vs-10. The winner is the No. 8 seed; the loser is eliminated.

Division titles no longer guarantee a playoff spot or a top-four seed; they only count as a tiebreaker. NBA Cup games count in the standings except the Cup championship game.

Ties in the 2025-26 final standings

Teams with the same final record in the same conference, in the final order. The head-to-head record is counted from the 1,230 stored regular-season results; it is the first tiebreaker for two teams.

2025-26 ties
Conference	Record	Final order	Head-to-head
East	46-36	5. Toronto Raptors, 6. Atlanta Hawks	Toronto Raptors 4-0
East	45-37	7. Philadelphia 76ers, 8. Orlando Magic	Philadelphia 76ers 2-1
West	42-40	8. Portland Trail Blazers, 9. LA Clippers	Portland Trail Blazers 2-2 (stored meetings split)
West	26-56	11. New Orleans Pelicans, 12. Dallas Mavericks	New Orleans Pelicans 3-1
West	22-60	14. Sacramento Kings, 15. Utah Jazz	Sacramento Kings 2-2 (stored meetings split)

A split in the stored meetings does not, by itself, identify the later rule that decided a tie. The source standings order is retained; we do not recalculate playoff seeds.

2025-26 NBA tiebreaker scenarios: inspect the games

These are actual tied records from the stored final standings. The linked regular-season meetings let you inspect the head-to-head evidence. They do not establish complete opponent coverage or independently certify which criterion settled the final order.