Golden State Warriors- ESPN

ESPN staffApr 20, 2026, 06:39 AM

The 2026 NBA playoffs began Saturday in what is 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 No. 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?

The play-in tournament began Tuesday, as the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds played to determine which teams get to face the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in each conference. The Portland Trail Blazers clinched a playoff berth 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. On Friday, the Magic defeated the Charlotte Hornets to finalize a matchup with the No. 1 Detroit Pistons, and the Suns defeated the Golden State Warriors to face the defending champions in the West.

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. Orlando Magic
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Philadelphia 76ers
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Phoenix Suns
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Portland Trail Blazers
3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets

Eastern Conference first round

(8) Orlando Magic lead (1) Detroit Pistons, 1-0

Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
Game 2: Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET at Detroit
Game 3: at Orlando on Saturday, April 25, 1 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Orlando on Monday, April 27, TBD
Game 5 (if necessary): at Detroit on Wednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Orlando on Friday, May 1, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Detroit on Sunday, May 3, TBD

(2) Boston Celtics lead (7) Philadelphia 76ers, 1-0

Game 1: Celtics 123, Sixers 91
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

(3) New York Knicks lead (6) Atlanta Hawks, 1-0

Game 1: Knicks 113, Hawks 102
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

KAT gets fired up after a 3 and a big defensive stop

Karl-Anthony Towns hits a clutch 3-pointer, then forces a turnover for the Knicks.

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers lead (5) Toronto Raptors, 1-0

Game 1: Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
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

Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Highlights

Western Conference first round

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder lead (8) Phoenix Suns, 1-0

Game 1: Thunder 119, Suns 84
Game 2: at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, April 22, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: at Phoenix on Saturday, April 25, 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: at Phoenix on Monday, April 27, TBD
Game 5 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City, Wednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Phoenix on Friday, May 1, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City on Sunday, May 3, TBD

SGA comes up with great block for the Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander denies Oso Ighodaro at the rim with a nice block for the Thunder.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers

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

(3) Denver Nuggets lead (6) Minnesota Timberwolves, 1-0

Game 1: Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
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

Nuggets take Game 1 with 116-105 win

The Nuggets use a big third quarter to take Game 1 over the Timberwolves.

(4) Los Angeles Lakers lead (5) Houston Rockets, 1-0

Game 1: Lakers 107, Rockets 98
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

Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game Highlights

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

Play-in tournament

Eastern Conference

(7) Philadelphia 76ers 109, (8) Orlando Magic 97

(9) Charlotte Hornets 127, (10) Miami Heat 126 (OT)

(8) Orlando Magic 121, (9) Charlotte Hornets 90

Western Conference

(8) Portland Trail Blazers 114, (7) Phoenix Suns 110

(10) Golden State Warriors 126, (9) LA Clippers 121

(7) Phoenix Suns 111, (10) Golden State Warriors 96

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.