Overview
- The regular season ended Sunday, and the SoFi Play-In opens Tuesday with 76ers–Magic and Hornets–Heat in the East plus Suns–Trail Blazers and Clippers–Warriors in the West.
- Denver secured the West’s No. 3 seed by beating San Antonio, and Nikola Jokic reached 65 games to remain eligible for end‑of‑season awards.
- The Lakers finished No. 4 and will face No. 5 Houston in a first‑round series, giving Los Angeles home court in a LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant matchup.
- Philadelphia will host Orlando in the 7–8 game, and the Sixers are planning without Joel Embiid following an appendectomy as they push to clinch a series against No. 2 Boston.
- In the WNBA, early free agency delivered Skylar Diggins to the Chicago Sky and Satou Sabally to the New York Liberty, while the champion Aces emphasized continuity with reported re‑signings and an expected supermax for A’ja Wilson.