The 2026 NBA playoffs are set to begin Saturday, 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 a crowded East field? Could there be upsets throughout the field?
But the playoff bracket isn’t set just yet. The play-in tournament began 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. The Portland Trail Blazers clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday with a win over the Phoenix Suns and will face the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers earned the No. 7 seed on Wednesday and will play the No. 2 Boston Celtics after defeating the Orlando Magic.
Still in the play-in fighting for the No. 8 seed on Friday, the Orlando Magic will face the Charlotte Hornets in the East, while the Golden State Warriors will battle the Phoenix Suns in the West.
After the play-in tournament concludes, the playoffs begin with four games 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.
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 TBD
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Philadelphia 76ers
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference play-in
7. Philadelphia 76ers defeat 8. Orlando Magic, 109-97 (Philadelphia in the playoffs, will play 2. Boston Celtics; Orlando to play 9. Charlotte)
9. Charlotte Hornets defeat 10. Miami Heat, 127-126 (OT) (Charlotte moves on, Miami eliminated)
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Portland Trail Blazers
3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets
Western Conference play-in
8. Portland Trail Blazers defeat 7. Phoenix Suns, 114-110 (Portland in the playoffs, will play 2. San Antonio Spurs; Phoenix to face Golden State)
10. Golden State Warriors defeat 9. LA Clippers, 126-121 (Golden State moves on, LA eliminated)
Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors
Play-in tournament schedule
Eastern Conference
(7) Philadelphia 76ers 109, (8) Orlando Magic 97
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
(9) Charlotte Hornets 127, (10) Miami Heat 126 (OT)
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Western Conference
(8) Portland Trail Blazers 114, (7) Phoenix Suns 110
Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET
(10) Golden State Warriors 126, (9) LA Clippers 121
Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
Friday, 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, 6:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Detroit on Wednesday, April 22, 7 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Play-in winner on Saturday, April 25, 1 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Play-in winner on Monday, April 27, TBD
Game 5 (if necessary): at Detroit on Wednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner on Friday, May 1, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Detroit on Sunday, May 3, TBD
Game 1: at Boston on Sunday, April 19, 1 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Boston on Tuesday, April 21, 7 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Philadelphia on Friday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Philadelphia on Sunday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): at Boston on Tuesday, April 28, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Philadelphia on Thursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Boston on Saturday, May 2, TBD
Game 1: at New York on Saturday, April 18, 6 p.m. ET
Game 2: at New York on Monday, April 20, 8 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Atlanta on Thursday, April 23, 7 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Atlanta on Saturday, April 25, 6 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): at New York on Tuesday, April 28, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Atlanta on Thursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at New York on Saturday, May 2, TBD
Game 1: at Cleveland on Saturday, April 18, 1 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Cleveland on Monday, April 20, 7 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Toronto on Thursday, April 23, 8 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Toronto on Sunday, April 26, 1 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): at Cleveland on Wednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Toronto on Friday, May 1, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Cleveland on Sunday, May 3, TBD
Western Conference first round
Game 1: at Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, April 22, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Play-in winner on Saturday, April 25, 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Play-in winner on Monday, April 27, TBD
Game 5 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City, Wednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner on Friday, May 1, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City on Sunday, May 3, TBD
Game 1: at San Antonio on Sunday, April 19, 9 p.m. ET
Game 2: at San Antonio on Tuesday, April 21, 8 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Portland on Friday, April 24, 10:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Portland on Sunday, April 26, 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): at San Antonio on Tuesday, April 28, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Portland on Thursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at San Antonio on Saturday, May 2, TBD
Game 1: at Denver on Saturday, April 18, 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Denver on Monday, April 20, 10:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Minnesota on Thursday, April 23, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Minnesota on Saturday, April 25, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): at Denver on Monday, April 27, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Minnesota on Thursday, April 30, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Denver on Saturday, May 2, TBD
Game 1: at Los Angeles on Saturday, April 18, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 21, 10:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Houston on Friday, April 24, 8 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Houston on Sunday, April 26, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): at Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Houston on Friday, May 1, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Los Angeles on Sunday, May 3, TBD
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 each game.
Game 1: Wednesday, June 3
Game 2: Friday, June 5
Game 3: Monday, June 8
Game 4: Wednesday, June 10
Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, June 13
Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 16
Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 19
