Eastern Conference Top 4 February Schedules

The NBA trade deadline and the All Star Break are ahead in February as teams have recently passed the halfway point in their schedules. February will be a key month of separating the contenders from the rest of the pack in the NBA standings. Here is a look at the schedules in February for the current top four teams in the Eastern Conference standings.

Detroit Pistons: While it would have been difficult to believe earlier in the season, the Pistons currently have a larger lead in the Eastern Conference standings than the Thunder have in the West, with Detroit up to 34-12 and 5.5 games clear of the second-place Knicks and Celtics heading into January 30. Detroit heads into its final game of the month with a 9-4 record since the calendar turned to 2026 while the schedule ahead of the All Star Break should provide a handful more wins. February starts with four straight home games for the Pistons with two difficult games and two favorable draws. Four road games in two-game pairs will provide a bookend around the All-Star Break including road games with Toronto and New York, chief players in the Eastern Conference picture. The end of February will provide the Pistons with a difficult home stand hosting the Spurs, Thunder, and Cavaliers over five days to close out the month and overall, seven of 11 games in February are vs. winning teams while two of the losing team matchups are Charlotte and Chicago on the road for tougher games than the records suggest. Detroit will have a hard time extending its conference lead in a difficult month of February.

New York Knicks: After a disastrous 2-9 run from New Year’s Eve to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Knicks have rebounded to put together four wins in a row to limit the damage in the Eastern Conference race, including picking up nice road wins in Philadelphia and Toronto in the last week. February has the potential to be a difficult month for the Knicks as well however, as only four of 12 games will come against current losing teams. Games with the Lakers, Nuggets, Pistons, and Rockets will come at home but there are also road games in Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, and Cleveland. The final five games out of the All Star Break will provide a challenging stretch of games hosting the Pistons and Rockets before three straight road games in the Midwest. While the February schedule looks difficult, the start of March is even more treacherous facing some of the top West contenders while on the road in six of the first eight games of March as the Knicks could struggle to hold a top three position in the East this season. 

Boston Celtics: The Celtics have moved into a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 5-5 run in the past 10 games. Boston isn’t exactly going for it this season, but the Celtics remain talented enough without Jayson Tatum to continue to compete well. Boston does have a few challenging games in February however as the team’s ability to keep pace in the Eastern Conference race may be tested. The Celtics have games with the Rockets, Heat, Knicks, and Bulls, all in succession right before the break and the game in Houston will be the second of back-to-back road games. After the All Star Break the Celtics have four games out west vs. some of the better teams in the Western Conference race while also having a back-to-back road game set in Phoenix and Denver. Only four games in February will be against current losing teams and Boston could be at risk of sliding in the standings in February.

Toronto Raptors: The Raptors have been a streaky team this season with a great start to the season followed by a rough December slide. Toronto has been on the upswing lately winning four of five in a west coast road tip in late January including wins over the Warriors and Thunder. February will feature only three road games for the Raptors although Toronto hasn’t offered a great home court edge going 13-11 north of the border. The Timberwolves, Pistons, Thunder, and Spurs are all visiting Toronto in February for several high-profile home games but overall, it is a preferable path compared with most of the other top Eastern Conference teams in the next month. Toronto is in a tight four-team race for the #2-5 spots in the standings and February could provide a springboard for the Raptors to chase the #2 position.

Cleveland Cavaliers: With Cleveland now matching Toronto at 29-20 the Cavaliers are also in the top four in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has won five in a row heading into January 30 and while Cleveland already has more losses than last season’s team that went 64-18 the Cavaliers this season may be peaking at the right time. The recent schedule has been favorable, and February will continue the final four games of a five-game west coast trip that could take a toll on the record before the All-Star Break. The Cavaliers host Washington in the final game before the break and then face Brooklyn in the first game after the break for favorable home games. The end of February will provide a few serious tests, however, with games in Oklahoma City and Detroit, plus a home game with the Knicks. The recent surge for Cleveland is not likely sustainable, though the race is close enough that the recent run has the Cavaliers back in play for any of the 2-5 positions in the East.