7 Bold(ish) Predictions for the Remainder of the 2025-26 NBA Season

After an eventful week for the NBA, where we saw plenty of drama, including Twitter beefs, burner accounts and tanking becoming a major discussion point, we finally get back to play after the All Star break. With that in mind, as we head into the stretch run of the season, here are seven boldish predictions I have for the remainder of the 2025–26 NBA season.

Prediction #1: Pistons Finish with the Best Regular Season Record, Cade Cunningham Finishes Top Two in MVP Voting

The Pistons coming out of the break currently sit with the best record in basketball at 40-13, with OKC right behind them at 42-14. Simply put, I think Detroit will care more about this and they are the healthier team right now than OKC. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been dealing with injuries throughout the year, and Jalen Williams has also been dealing with injuries that has kept him out of the lineup.

I just do not believe that after winning a title last year, OKC will prioritize finishing with the best record in the NBA. Meanwhile, Detroit has had one of the fastest two year turnarounds we have seen in recent history, and it would be an all time great moment for that franchise if they finished with the best record in basketball this season.

If they do that, I do think Cade Cunningham will be recognized in MVP voting. I am saying top two simply because I expect either Nikola Jokic or SGA to not be eligible for the award due to the 65 game limit that is in place, and both are in danger of falling short of that mark.

Prediction #2: Giannis Antetokounmpo Return to Bucks Lineup... But They Still Miss the Play-In Tournament

Simply put, even with Giannis, the Bucks are not a good team. They are going to start falling behind the more Giannis misses games, which is obvious because with him in the lineup they have only been a .500 caliber team this year, and without him they have been one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Milwaukee ends up missing the play-in tournament entirely, which will once again force Giannis and the Bucks into uncomfortable conversations about the MVP’s future going forward in Milwaukee.

Prediction #3: The Charlotte Hornets Make the Playoffs

The Charlotte Hornets continue their hot streak from before the All Star break into the post stretch run of the season, and not only do they make the play-in, they end up making the playoffs outright.

They have been one of the most fun teams to watch in basketball over the past month as rookie Kon Knueppel has been a sensation, LaMelo Ball is starting to get healthy, Miles Bridges has been productive when on the court, Brandon Miller has taken another step, and they also just acquired Coby White from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline.

I just love watching this Hornets team play. They have started to find their groove. They currently sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference as we return to play after the break, and I think they find a way to be one of the eight teams left standing in the Eastern Conference when it is all said and done.

Prediction #4: With Jayson Tatum Back, the Celtics Make to AT LEAST the Eastern Conference Finals

There has not been a team I was more wrong about going into the season than the Celtics. I thought this would be a gap year for them, similar to the Golden State Warriors in 2020 when they were dealing with a plethora of injuries to their star players after deep playoff runs. I even wrote before the season that I expected the Celtics to miss the play-in entirely.

Instead, they are currently sitting in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference at 35-19, and Jayson Tatum appears to be on the verge of make his season debut after tearing his Achilles in the second round of the playoffs last season. If Tatum is at least 80% of what he was at his peak last season (which to me was one of the top five players in basketball), the Celtics are no doubt a threat not only to win the East, but to win the championship outright.

Without Tatum, Jaylen Brown has played like an MVP caliber player this year. Derrick White has taken another step with his added responsibility. Payton Pritchard remains one of the best shooters in the league, and they just acquired Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline to add another wrinkle to their lineup.

Simply put, in an Eastern Conference that does not have a clear favourite, the Celtics have been the most consistent team for years. If they are healthy and Tatum returns looking even somewhat like his former self, I think the Celtics find a way to be one of the last teams standing in the NBA.

Prediction #5: The Minnesota Timberwolves Get a Top-4 Seed In The West

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently 6th in the Western Conference at 34-22 and are two games behind the 4th seeded Houston Rockets, who have 20 losses. I just think post All Star break is when the Timberwolves start to find their groove as they get healthier.

Anthony Edwards should have some added confidence, (if that is even possible), considering coming off an All Star Game where he won MVP and while the Timberwolves have been one of the more disappointing teams for me in the Western Conference this year, as I thought they would be a top seed contender, I do think they rally and understand the importance of securing a first round home playoff series.

I think they start to climb the standings as the playoffs approach and find a way into that top four.

Prediction #6: The Houston Rockets Fall to the Play-In Tournament

I was not as high on the Houston Rockets before the season as most people, and this is exactly where I predicted them to be. They did have a nice start to the season, and while I would never say I considered them a legit championship contender, there was a point where I thought I might be wrong about them falling into the play-in tournament.

Before the All Star break, though, they were already not playing great basketball, as they went just 6-4 in their last ten games and throughout the season, when they are away from home, they sit at 15-13 on the road, which is pretty average.

Then, of course, over the weekend we saw the alleged leaked Kevin Durant direct messages, where he trashed a number of his teammates on one of his burner accounts on Twitter.

Would I be shocked if this creates a divide in the locker room and we see the Rockets start to slide in the standings? No. I see them getting passed by teams like the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Suns, which leads to Houston finding themselves in the play in tournament.

I do think they ultimately will be a playoff team, but they are going to have to earn their way in.

Prediction #7: The Denver Nuggets Win the Championship

The Denver Nuggets were my pick to win the title before the season and I'm sticking with it.

I loved all of the offseason moves they made to upgrade the roster around Jokic, bringing in players like Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas. And while the Nuggets have been impressive this season, they just have not been able to stay healthy, and they have still found a way to be the three seed in the West at 35-20.

If Denver can get healthy before the playoffs, I do think they are the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference. We saw that last year when those two teams went seven games.

This time around, with a better supporting cast, I think Nikola Jokic proves once again that he is the best player in basketball and gets revenge.

Jamal Murray will be better in the playoffs, there is more depth with guys like Peyton Watson stepping up, and the offseason additions like Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown have been great.

The biggest thing here comes down to health. I think Aaron Gordon will be healthy by the time the playoffs roll around after struggling with hamstring injuries throughout the year.

I think the Nuggets should prioritize health over seeding for the remainder of the regular season. If they enter the playoffs healthy, I trust Nikola Jokic over almost anyone in basketball. I think he leads the Nuggets to another title, the second of his career, and Denver finishes the season as NBA champions.