Who Could Spurs Face in Playoffs? Tiebreaker Scenarios, Play-In Schedule

SAN ANTONIO — Their race for the Western Conference's No. 1 seed is over, but the San Antonio Spurs aren't completely sure of their postseason fate just yet.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder's 128-110 victory over the LA Clippers Wednesday night, it clinched the best record in the NBA and the top spot in the West. Despite San Antonio's 61st victory — coming the same night against the Portland Trail Blazers — it is now locked in to the No. 2 seed, set to face the winner of the the first Play-In Tournament contest.

The Spurs aren't using their clinched position as an excuse to let their guard down.

"You want to focus on every day,' Harrison Barnes said at shootaround on Wednesday. "You don't want to look past these next (few) games, you don't want to disrespect your opponents ... in these games, (we're) trying to sharpen our attention to detail."

Mar 21, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) warms up before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns clinched the West's No. 7 seed after its win over the Dallas Mavericks, securing home court for the duration of the tourney. After Portland and LA's losses, the race for the No. 8 seed includes only them, with a head-to-head matchup set for Friday.

In descending order, tiebreakers go from head-to-head record; to division winner, if applicable; to division record, if both teams play in the same division; to conference record. Since neither team is a division winner nor from the same conference, their tiebreaker will be directly settled by the outcome of the game with the below implications:

If POR (40-40) wins, it clinches a tiebreaker over LAC (41-39). With one more game for each squad remaining after that, POR would get the No. 8 seed if they finish tied.

If LAC wins, it clinches the No. 8 seed outright and would play PHX in Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament game for the right to face the Spurs in the first round.

This season, San Antonio is 2-1 against the Trail Blazers and 3-0 against the Clippers, including a historic 27-point comeback win on March 16 that secured its 50th win. The Spurs are 2-2 against the Suns, who have given Victor Wembanyama significant offensive trouble.

Regardless of the opponent it will face in the playoffs, San Antonio is focused on itself.

"We need to bring up our attention to detail and our intensity," De'Aaron Fox said, agreeing with Barnes. "We’ve actually talked about it, we’re like, ‘Continue to enjoy each other ... enjoy the way that we play. We’re trying to compete for a championship."

Tipoff between the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers from Moda Center is set for 9 p.m. Central Friday night. Tipoff between the Phoenix Suns and the West's No. 8 seed in the Play-In Tournament from Mortgage Matchup Center is set for 9 p.m. Central April 14.

The 2026 NBA Playoffs are set to begin on April 18.

Spurs to Close Regular Season on National TV

Announced Wednesday morning, the Spurs' regular season finale against the Denver Nuggets on April 12 will now be televised nationally on ESPN. Tipoff will remain 7:30 p.m. Central; the game will still be televised locally on FanDuel Sports Network.

The change marks San Antonio's 32nd national television game this season, which would have been good for second-most in the NBA behind a four-way tie between the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors.

Paramount to a strong finish for the Spurs will be blocking out the added fanfare. They plan to carry that same approach into the postseason.

"Yes, the stakes are going to be higher," Fox said. "More eyes are going to be on us, more media is going to be around … but we don’t want guys to be too tight.”

Added Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, echoing his star: "We've been attacking this deal since October. And we're not done in two games."