NBA Picks & Predictions
NBA Playoffs 2026 Picks & Predictions - Basketball Betting Market Tips
With the marathon of an 82-game NBA regular season behind us, it’s time for the NBA Playoffs. As intriguing as the regular season can be, this is when the quest for the NBA championship heats up. Each conference has 10 teams that have a chance to win the title, and with dozens of high-stakes games over the next several weeks, now is the perfect time for fans tobet on basketball.
Once you sign up with Stake, it’ll be easy to bet on the NBA throughout the playoffs. Before you place a bet at Stake Sportsbook, we recommend reading our sports betting guide for more tips and tricks when forming your basketball betting slip!
NBA history and previous NBA winners
The NBA dates back to 1946. In the decades since the league was founded, over 20 different franchises have won an NBA title. Historically, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are the most successful teams in league history, winning 18 and 17 NBA Championships, respectively. However, it’s the Oklahoma City Thunder who enter the 2026 playoffs as the reigning champion
2025-26 NBA regular season recap
There was great intrigue ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season following an offseason that saw star players like Kevin Durant, Trae Young, and James Harden get traded. There were also star players like Jayson Tatum missing due to injury, making it a little harder to predict which teams would emerge as the best in the league.
In the end, the reigning champion Thunder finished with the NBA’s best regular-season record. However, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs came close to matching Oklahoma City’s 64 wins, becoming a bona fide title contender. Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers surprised some people by winning the Pacific Division. In the twilight of his career, LeBron James is seeking one last championship.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons finished with the best record. Just two seasons ago, the Pistons won just 14 games, so Detroit’s ascent to the top has been fascinating to watch. Meanwhile, despite playing without Tatum for most of the season, the Celtics won the Atlantic Division and look like a threat to win their second title in three seasons. Also, the Atlanta Hawks won a mediocre but hotly contested Southeast Division, forcing the three teams that fall a little short of them to prove themselves in the play-in tournament.
How is the NBA playoffs formated?
The NBA Playoffs begin with 10 teams from each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The top 6 teams in each conference advance to a first-round series, while teams 7-10 participate in the play-in tournament. The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds play, with the winner getting the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The No. 9 and No. 10 seeds play, with the winner facing the loser of the 7 vs 8 game, and the winner of that game earning the No. 8 seed. The playoffs begin with the play-in round from April 14-17, with the rest of the playoff schedule beginning on April 18.
Once each conference is down to 8 teams, the playoff bracket is set, and there are three playoff rounds. Each is a best-of-7 playoff series, culminating in a conference championship for two teams. Then the winner of the Eastern Conference plays the winner of the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, which is also a best-of-7 series.
Which teams are playing in the 2026 NBA playoffs
Here are the 20 teams participating in the 2026 NBA Playoffs:
Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors
Atlanta Hawks
Philadelphia 76ers (Play-in Tournament)
Orlando Magic (Play-in Tournament)
Charlotte Hornets (Play-in Tournament)
Miami Heat (Play-in Tournament)
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs
Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Lakers
Houston Rockets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns (Play-in Tournament)
Portland Trail Blazers (Play-in Tournament)
Los Angeles Clippers (Play-in Tournament)
Golden State Warriors (Play-in Tournament)
NBA playoff picks and expert betting predictions
The NBA Futures odds indicate the Oklahoma City Thunder is the clear favorite to win the 2026 NBA title. However, repeating as champs is never easy, and it hasn’t been done since Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors pulled it off in 2017 and 2018. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will provide a big hurdle for Oklahoma City. With former NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic leading the way, the Denver Nuggets are a threat as well. In theory, the Lakers are a dark horse after winning their division. However, Austin Reaves is injured, and Luka Doncic’s availability is also in question because of an injury, so LeBron James doesn’t have a strong supporting cast around him.
In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are the favorite to return to the NBA Finals, especially now that Jayson Tatum is healthy and available. Despite finishing with the best record, some experts are bullish on the Pistons being able to reach the NBA Finals. Instead, the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, are expected to be Boston’s biggest competition, with the New York Knicks another potential contender under coach Mike Brown.
In the end, look for the Spurs to triumph as the 2026 NBA champs. Wembanyama is the type of difference maker who can dominate at both ends. San Antonio also has a deep contingent of guards and wings who can complement Wembanyama and provide the balance necessary to survive one round after another and emerge as the champions.
What types of NBA bets can I place at Stake?
Betting on the NBA at Stake Sportsbook is as simple as it gets.
First, sign up for a Stake account.
Then deposit funds into that account.
Thereafter, click on the NBA button to get a full list of upcoming games and betting options.
We recommend having a budget and a plan in place before you start betting. As well as using an established system like the Kelly Criterion strategy to help guide your bets, especially if you’re new to sports betting.
When you're ready to start betting, you’ll find Stake has a wide selection of options from handicap betting to win totals to outrights. If you’re not familiar with NBA betting, read our basketball betting guide, which will teach you how to understand NBA odds and basketball betting markets, including futures markets. During the NBA playoffs, these are the most common types of bets:
Point Spread (Spread) - Betting against the spread is among the most popular bet types for NBA fans. With spread bets, the favoured team must win by a certain margin to win the bet. If that team doesn’t win by a margin that’s greater than the spread for the game, the losing team wins the bet just by keeping it close.
Moneyline (Outright) - Making moneyline picks is a little simpler than betting against the spread. This bet only requires betting on the outright winner of the game. The catch is that the odds and payout won’t be the same for each team. The payout is smaller if you take the moneyline of the favoured team and larger for the underdog.
Total (Over/Under) - Rather than betting on winners and losers, a total bet is concerned with the combined points of both teams. There is an over/under for every game, with bettors placing a wager on whether the total points in that game will be higher or lower than that total.
Parlays & Multibets - A parlay is a great way to increase the payout of a bet. It ties multiple bets into a larger bet, increasing the payout more than a series of single bets. However, if just 1 bet loses, the entire parlay loses, so it’s the ultimate example of a high-risk, high-reward bet.
Proposition Bets (Player Props) - Player props are hugely popular among NBA fans. These prop bets are typically based on the number of points, rebounds, or assists a player has in a game. There are also prop bets that are based on certain events in a game, including whether a team will lead at halftime and win the game.
Live Betting (In Play) - Even after a game begins, there are betting lines available, allowing fans to make live bets in the middle of a game. This allows fans to watch the start of an NBA game and then make a bet on how the game will end. Just keep in mind that live betting is a little different from pre-game betting. The spread, over/under, and moneyline odds all change throughout the game, so you can’t get on the pre-game odds once the game begins.
Where can I bet on basketball live and watch free live streams?
At Stake, you can watch a live stream of NBA games for free. Just look at a list of upcoming games, and if you see the stream logo next to any of those games, you can live stream it on the Stake platform once the game begins. By live-streaming NBA games, it’s easier to see how games unfold as you place live bets.
How to deposit funds to bet on basketball
To deposit or withdraw funds at Stake, access your account using a passkey . There are several methods of depositing and withdrawing funds available on our site. As a crypto-friendly platform, we make it easy to use our integrated crypto payment systems such as Swap Connect and Mesh for seamless direct deposits. We also support a wide range of local currencies that you can use to place your bets.
Sportsbook promotions on Stake and VIP rewards
One of the reasons why we are an elite online sportsbook for NBA betting is our wide array of bonus opportunities and promotions. These bonuses can include a welcome bonus for new users.
For our loyal and active users, we have a VIP club. Members are privy to rewards and benefits such as areload or rakeback bonus, weekly raffle, VIP host and various casino challenges open to everyone. If you have questions about what makes our VIP club so special, check out our VIP Club FAQ page. Our customer support guide is also packed with answers to everything you need to know about using our platform.
