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 surprises throughout the field?
The play-in tournament began April 14, 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 are facing the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers earned the No. 7 seed on April 15 and are playing the No. 2 Boston Celtics after defeating the Orlando Magic. On April 17, 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
(1) Detroit Pistons tied with (8) Orlando Magic 1-1
Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
Game 2: Pistons 98, Magic 83
Game 3: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET at Orlando
Game 4: Monday, 8 p.m. ET at Orlando
Game 5: April 29 at Detroit
Game 6 (if necessary): May 1 at Orlando
Game 7 (if necessary): May 3 at Detroit
Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons: Game Highlights
(2) Boston Celtics tied with (7) Philadelphia 76ers, 1-1
Game 1: Celtics 123, Sixers 91
Game 2: 76ers 111, Celtics 97
Game 3: Friday, 7 p.m. ET at Philadelphia
Game 4: Sunday, 7 p.m. ET at Philadelphia
Game 5: Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET at Boston
Game 6 (if necessary): April 30 at Philadelphia
Game 7 (if necessary): May 2 at Boston
76ers' VJ Edgecombe makes history with 30-10 to stun Celtics
Shelburne: How Jaylen Brown turbocharged the Celtics back to title contention
VJ Edgecombe dunks it through two Celtics defenders on the fast break for the 76ers.
(3) New York Knicks tied with (6) Atlanta Hawks, 1-1
Game 1: Knicks 113, Hawks 102
Game 2: Hawks 107, Knicks 106
Game 3: Thursday, 7 p.m. ET at Atlanta
Game 4: Saturday, 6 p.m. ET at Atlanta
Game 5: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET at New York
Game 6 (if necessary): April 30 at Atlanta
Game 7 (if necessary): May 2 at New York
CJ McCollum leads late rally as Hawks stun Knicks to tie series
Jalen Brunson nets 28 points; Knicks outlast Hawks in Game 1
Goodwill: Five issues facing the Knicks ahead of the playoffs
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks: Game Highlights
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers lead (5) Toronto Raptors, 2-0
Game 1: Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
Game 2: Cavaliers 115, Raptors 105
Game 3: Thursday, 8 p.m. ET at Toronto
Game 4: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET at Toronto
Game 5 (if necessary): April 29 at Cleveland
Game 6 (if necessary): May 1 at Toronto
Game 7 (if necessary): May 3 at Cleveland
Star trio leads Cavaliers to another dominant win over Raptors
Mitchell scores 32 as Cavaliers defeat Raptors 126-113 in Game 1 of East first-round series
Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Highlights
Western Conference first round
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder lead (8) Phoenix Suns 2-0
Game 1: Thunder 119, Suns 84
Game 2: Thunder 120, Suns 107
Game 3: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET at Phoenix
Game 4: Monday, 9:30 p.m. ET at Phoenix
Game 5 (if necessary): April 29 at Oklahoma City
Game 6 (if necessary): May 1 at Phoenix
Game 7 (if necessary): May 3 at Oklahoma City
Thunder's Jalen Williams leaves Game 2 with third-quarter injury
Slater: Chet Holmgren is ready to show the NBA why his best is yet to come
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander denies Oso Ighodaro at the rim with a nice block for the Thunder.
(2) San Antonio Spurs tied with (7) Portland Trail Blazers 1-1
Game 1: Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98
Game 2: Trail Blazers 106, Spurs 103
Game 3: Friday, 10:30 p.m ET at Portland
Game 4: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET at Portland
Game 5: Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET at San Antonio
Game 6 (if necessary): April 30 at Portland
Game 7 (if necessary): May 2 at San Antonio
Victor Wembanyama leaves the court after a heavy landing in Game 2 vs. the Trail Balzer
(3) Denver Nuggets tied with (6) Minnesota Timberwolves, 1-1
Game 1: Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
Game 2: Timberwolves 119, Nuggets 114
Game 3: Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET at Minnesota
Game 4: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET at Minnesota
Game 5: Monday, 10:30 p.m. ET at Denver
Game 6 (if necessary): April 30 at Minnesota
Game 7 (if necessary): May 2 at Denver
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets: Game Highlights
(4) Los Angeles Lakers lead (5) Houston Rockets 2-0
Game 1: Lakers 107, Rockets 98
Game 2: Lakers 101, Rockets 94
Game 3: Friday, 8 p.m. ET at Houston
Game 4: Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET at Houston
Game 5 (if necessary): April 29 at Los Angeles
Game 6 (if necessary): May 1 at Houston
Game 7 (if necessary): May 3 at Los Angeles
LeBron plays 'triple threat' as Lakers upset Rockets in Game 1
Wright: How the Rockets bullied their way to one of the NBA's best offenses
LeBron James cuts to the rim and throws it down in the final minute of the Lakers' Game 2 win over the Rockets.
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.