NBA Simulator
Pick the winners and both conference standings rebuild themselves as you type. Games already played are locked — those are facts, not predictions.
Night203 games
Celtics
76ers
Thunder| Team | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hawks | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2 |  Celtics | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 3 |  Nets | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 4 |  Hornets | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 5 |  Bulls | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 6 |  Cavaliers | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 7 |  Pistons | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 8 |  Pacers | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 9 |  Heat | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 10 |  Bucks | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 11 |  Knicks | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 12 |  Magic | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 13 |  76ers | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 14 |  Raptors | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 15 |  Wizards | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Team | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mavericks | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2 |  Nuggets | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 3 |  Warriors | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 4 |  Rockets | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 5 |  Clippers | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 6 |  Lakers | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 7 |  Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 8 |  Timberwolves | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 9 |  Pelicans | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 10 |  Thunder | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 11 |  Suns | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 12 |  Trail Blazers | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 13 |  Kings | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 14 |  Spurs | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 15 |  Jazz | 0 | 0 | .000 |
About the NBA simulator
This NBA simulator lets you play out the 2026-27 regular season and see where every team would finish. Enter scores game by game or let the model do it, and both conference tables reorder at once. Games already played are locked with the real scores shown on the NBA schedule.
Each conference has 15 teams, and the table marks where the season's lines fall: places one to six go straight to the playoffs and seven to ten go to the play-in. The season tips off on Oct. 20, 2026, and from then on each result locks in once the game is final.
How to use the NBA simulator
- Choose a month, then a night, and type a final score into any game still to be played; both conference tables update as you type.
- Press Simulate season to fill every remaining game with the model's scores, or Simulate night to fill only the night on screen.
- Press Clear to wipe your scores; games already played keep their real results.
- Run the season again for a different outcome, since the model includes the randomness of real results.
- The Playoffs and Play-in labels under each table mark the top six and places seven to ten.
NBA simulator FAQ
How does the NBA simulator decide games?
From last season's numbers. Each team is rated by its 2025-26 point differential per game; the home team gets the edge measured across that season, and random variation sized to match real 2025-26 games decides the rest, so underdogs still win some.
How many teams make the NBA playoffs?
Sixteen, eight from each conference. The top six in each conference qualify directly, seeds seven and eight come through the play-in, and every round, from the first round to the NBA Finals, is a best-of-seven series.
How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
It settles the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference. The No. 7 team hosts No. 8 and the winner takes the seventh seed; No. 9 plays No. 10 and the loser is out. The loser of 7-8 then hosts the winner of 9-10 for the eighth seed.
Does the simulator use the NBA's tiebreakers?
No. When two records are level, the simulator separates the teams by point differential. The NBA's own procedure starts with head-to-head record, then division leadership, division and conference records and results against playoff teams, and turns to point differential only after all of those.
From the blog
- The First 20 Games Explain About 70 Percent of an NBA Team's Final RecordAn NBA team's 20-game record explains about 70 percent of the spread in final records. Since 1996-97, 69 of 332 teams under .500 by then made the playoffs.
- The NBA MVP Wins the Championship About One Season in ThreeThe NBA MVP's team won the championship in 24 of 71 seasons since 1955-56, and in 6 of the last 27. Every MVP, their team's record and how it finished.
- NBA Teams Win 44 Percent of the Time on the Second Night of a Back-to-BackNBA teams on the second night of a back-to-back won 44.2 percent of games from 2012-13 to 2025-26, and only 49.8 percent at home against rested opponents.