nba standings: Pistons cling to top as home stretch begins Thursday
The 2025-26 season is roughly 67% complete and most teams have about 27 games left. The regular-season home stretch starts Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 (ET), and the standings remain tight in both conferences. Defensive teams and depth will be decisive as clubs jockey for seeding and matchup advantages down the stretch.
Eastern Conference: Detroit holds the edge but margin is thin
The Detroit team atop the East is the only squad in the top 10 that sits more than 2. 5 games clear of the team behind it, yet its cushion looks vulnerable. Offensively and defensively the club is balanced — a top-10 offense and one of the league’s best defenses — and its Net Rating (+8. 3 per 100 possessions) is among the elite marks in the league. A three-game winning streak carried them into the break and they also sport the best record (17-6) against teams currently above. 500.
Challenges are immediate. Key frontcourt availability will shape the remainder of the season: one veteran faces a multi-game suspension and a young big will miss at least one more matchup, leaving a depleted roster for a high-profile visit to Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 (ET). How the team navigates those absences — particularly in rebounding and rim protection — will influence both their short-term standing and playoff seeding math in the East.
Western logjam: Thunder’s perch shaken, Spurs and others climbing
The Western Conference remains a compact fight for positioning. The defending champions have some of the league’s best defensive numbers and the top Net Rating, but a shorthanded loss late in the first half of the season cost them the combined standings lead and highlighted lingering roster vulnerabilities. They also face one of the toughest post-break schedules by cumulative opponent winning percentage (. 541), beginning with a pair of meetings against a willing opponent and a rest-advantage matchup on Friday.
San Antonio has surged as well, riding the league’s longest active win streak into the second half and sitting just two games behind the Thunder in the loss column while holding a favorable head-to-head tiebreaker. The Spurs blend elite two-way metrics with strong depth; their upcoming two-game stint at home starts against a top-scoring opponent on Thursday and could set the tone for their seeding trajectory.
What matters down the stretch: defense, schedules and the 40-20 benchmark
Leaguewide pace and efficiency give clues to what will separate contenders. The NBA average this season has been roughly 114. 6 points per 100 possessions and about 100. 3 possessions per 48 minutes per team, meaning high-level defense remains a premium. Teams that rank near the top in both offense and defense are better positioned to withstand injuries and brutal schedules.
For a historical touchstone, the long-standing 40-20 benchmark — winning 40 games before suffering a 20th loss — still filters the field. By that standard, only two teams have comfortably qualified so far, with a third very close. Others that don’t meet that threshold will need late-season surges and favorable scheduling to make a legitimate title push.
As February turns into March, watch three variables closely: availability of key frontcourt players, how teams handle their toughest remaining opponents, and which clubs can sustain defensive stability while maintaining efficient scoring. With about 27 games left for the average team, the next six weeks will define playoff ladders and expose which records were built on durable foundations versus short-term hot streaks.
