The 2026 NBA playoffs are set to begin Saturday, April 18, rolling all the way until the middle of June. It’s sure to be an exciting run toward the NBA Finals, which begin June 3 and will be broadcast by ABC.
Can the Oklahoma City Thunder, who locked in their third straight 1-seed in the Western Conference, repeat as champions? Which team will emerge from the crowded East field? Could there be upsets throughout the 16-team field?
The playoff bracket isn’t set just yet, however. The play-in tournament begins Tuesday, with the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds playing to determine which teams get to face the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in each conference.
After the play-in tournament concludes Friday, April 17, the playoffs begin with four games on Saturday. Eight teams from each conference reach the first round and face off in a best-of-seven series to advance. All four rounds of the playoffs are best-of-seven, and teams are not reseeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have home-court advantage for that series. All series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with the better record hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary).
Here’s what we know about the Eastern and Western Conference playoff brackets:
Full NBA playoff bracket
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference play-in
7. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Orlando Magic9. Charlotte Hornets vs. 10. Miami HeatLoser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets
Western Conference play-in
7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. Portland Trail Blazers9. LA Clippers vs. 10. Golden State WarriorsLoser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
Full NBA playoff bracket Full NBA playoff bracketPlay-in tournament schedule
Eastern Conference
(8) Orlando Magic at (7) Philadelphia 76ersWednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET
(10) Miami Heat at (9) Charlotte HornetsTuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Winner 9/10 at Loser 7/8Friday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Western Conference
(8) Portland Trail Blazers at (7) Phoenix SunsTuesday, April 14 at 10 p.m. ET
(10) Golden State Warriors at (9) LA Clippers Wednesday, April 15 at 10 p.m. ET
Winner 9/10 at 7/8 LoserFriday, April 17 at 10 p.m. ET
How the games will work:
Game 1s: Each conference’s No. 7 team in the standings will host the No. 8 team, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The losing teams get another chance in their respective conference’s Game 3.
Game 2s: Each conference’s No. 9 team will host the No. 10 team, with the winner moving on to Game 3. The losers are eliminated and enter the NBA draft lottery.
Game 3s: The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups, with the victors grabbing each conference’s No. 8 seed in the postseason. The losers of Game 3 enter the NBA draft lottery.
Eastern Conference first round
Game 1: at Detroit on Sunday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. ETGame 2: at DetroitGame 3: at Play-in winnerGame 4: at Play-in winnerGame 5 (if necessary): at DetroitGame 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winnerGame 7 (if necessary): at Detroit
Game 1: at Boston on Sunday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. ETGame 2: at BostonGame 3: at Play-in winnerGame 4: at Play-in winnerGame 5 (if necessary): at BostonGame 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winnerGame 7 (if necessary): at Boston
Game 1: at New York on Saturday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m. ETGame 2: at New YorkGame 3: at AtlantaGame 4: at AtlantaGame 5 (if necessary): at New YorkGame 6 (if necessary): at AtlantaGame 7 (if necessary): at New York
Game 1: at Cleveland on Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. ETGame 2: at ClevelandGame 3: at TorontoGame 4: at TorontoGame 5 (if necessary): at ClevelandGame 6 (if necessary): at TorontoGame 7 (if necessary): at Cleveland
Western Conference first round
Game 1: at Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m. ETGame 2: at Oklahoma CityGame 3: at Play-in winnerGame 4: at Play-in winnerGame 5 (if necessary): at Oklahoma CityGame 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winnerGame 7 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City
Game 1: at San Antonio on Sunday, April 19 at 9:00 p.m. ETGame 2: at San AntonioGame 3: at Play-in winnerGame 4: at Play-in winnerGame 5 (if necessary): at San AntonioGame 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winnerGame 7 (if necessary): at San Antonio
Game 1: at Denver on Saturday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. ETGame 2: at DenverGame 3: at MinnesotaGame 4: at MinnesotaGame 5 (if necessary): at DenverGame 6 (if necessary): at MinnesotaGame 7 (if necessary): at Denver
Game 1: at Los Angeles on Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m. ETGame 2: at Los AngelesGame 3: at HoustonGame 4: at HoustonGame 5 (if necessary): at Los AngelesGame 6 (if necessary): at HoustonGame 7 (if necessary): at Los Angeles
NBA Finals schedule
The 2026 NBA Finals will begin Wednesday, June 3, with each game tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET. ABC will broadcast every matchup.
Game 1: Wednesday, June 3Game 2: Friday, June 5Game 3: Monday, June 8Game 4: Wednesday, June 10Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, June 13Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 16Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 19
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