2026 nba playoffs It’s scheduled to begin Saturday and run through mid-June. The race to the NBA Finals will certainly be exciting, starting on June 3 and televised by ABC.
It is possible oklahoma city thunderWho clinched the 1st seed in the Western Conference for the third consecutive time and repeat as champions? Which team will emerge from the crowded East field? Could the entire region be in turmoil?
But the playoff bracket has not been set yet. The play-in tournament begins Tuesday, with the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds playing to determine which teams will face the No. 1 and 2 seeds in each conference.
After the play-in tournament ends on Friday, the playoffs begin with four games on Saturday. Eight teams from each conference advance to 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 re-seeded after each round. The team with the better regular season record in each series will receive 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. Play-in Winner TBD
3. new York Knicks Versus 6. atlanta hawks
4. cleveland cavaliers Versus 5. Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference Play-in
7. philadelphia 76ers Versus 8. orlando magic
9. charlotte hornets Versus 10. Miami Heat
Loser 7/8 vs Winner 9/10
western conference
1. oklahoma city thunder vs. 8. Play-in Winner TBD
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in Winner TBD
3. denver nuggets Versus 6. minnesota timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Lakers Versus 5. Houston Rockets
Western Conference Play-in
7. phoenix sun Versus 8. portland trail blazers
9. LA Clippers Versus 10. Golden State Warriors
Loser 7/8 vs Winner 9/10
Play-in Tournament Schedule
eastern conference
(8) orlando magic (7) on philadelphia 76ers
Wednesday, 7:30 pm ET
(10) Miami Heat (at 9 Cwhore hornets
Tuesday, 7:30 pm ET
Winner 9/10 and Loser 7/8
Friday, 7:30 pm ET
western conference
(8) portland trail blazers But (7) phoenix sun
Tuesday, 10 PM ET
(10) Golden State Warriors (at 9 LA Clippers
Wednesday, 10 PM ET
Winner 9/10 Loser 7/8
Friday, 10 PM ET
How the games will work:
Game 1s: The No. 7 team in each conference 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 Game 3 of their respective conference.
Game 2s: The No. 9 team from each conference will host the No. 10 team, with the winner advancing to Game 3. The losers will be 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 winners securing 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: Sunday, April 19 at Detroit, 6:30 pm ET
Game 2: in detroit
Game 3: on play-in winner
Game 4: on play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): in detroit
Game 6 (if necessary): on play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): in detroit
Game 1: Sunday, April 19, 1 p.m. ET in Boston
Game 2: in boston
Game 3: on play-in winner
Game 4: on play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): in boston
Game 6 (if necessary): on play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): in boston
Game 1: Saturday in New York, 6pm ET
Game 2: in New York
Game 3: in atlanta
Game 4: in atlanta
Game 5 (if necessary): in New York
Game 6 (if necessary): in atlanta
Game 7 (if necessary): in New York
Game 1: Saturday at Cleveland, 1 p.m. ET
Game 2: in cleveland
Game 3: in Toronto
Game 4: in Toronto
Game 5 (if necessary): in cleveland
Game 6 (if necessary): in Toronto
Game 7 (if necessary): in cleveland
Western Conference First Round
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 at Oklahoma City, 3:30 PM ET
Game 2: in oklahoma city
Game 3: on play-in winner
Game 4: on play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): in oklahoma city
Game 6 (if necessary): on play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): in oklahoma city
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 at San Antonio, 9pm ET
Game 2: in san antonio
Game 3: on play-in winner
Game 4: on play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): in san antonio
Game 6 (if necessary): on play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): in san antonio
Game 1: Saturday at Denver, 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: in denver
Game 3: in minnesota
Game 4: in minnesota
Game 5 (if necessary): in denver
Game 6 (if necessary): in minnesota
Game 7 (if necessary): in denver
Game 1: Saturday in Los Angeles, 8:30 pm ET
Game 2: in Los Angeles
Game 3: in houston
Game 4: in houston
Game 5 (if necessary): in Los Angeles
Game 6 (if necessary): in houston
Game 7 (if necessary): in Los Angeles
nba finals schedule
The 2026 NBA Finals begin on Wednesday, June 3, with each game tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET. ABC will broadcast every 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
