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:
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD 2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD 3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks 4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
7. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Orlando Magic 9. Charlotte Hornets vs. 10. Miami Heat Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD 2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD 3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves 4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets
7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. Portland Trail Blazers 9. LA Clippers vs. 10. Golden State Warriors Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
(8) Orlando Magic at (7) Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET
(10) Miami Heat at (9) Charlotte Hornets Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET
(8) Portland Trail Blazers at (7) Phoenix Suns Tuesday, April 14 at 10 p.m. ET
(10) Golden State Warriors at (9) LA Clippers Wednesday, April 15 at 10 p.m. ET
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.
Game 1: at Detroit on Sunday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. ET Game 2: at Detroit Game 3: at Play-in winner Game 4: at Play-in winner Game 5 (if necessary): at Detroit Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner Game 7 (if necessary): at Detroit
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(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-in winner
Game 1: at Boston on Sunday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET Game 2: at Boston Game 3: at Play-in winner Game 4: at Play-in winner Game 5 (if necessary): at Boston Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner Game 7 (if necessary): at Boston
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Game 1: at New York on Saturday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET Game 2: at New York Game 3: at Atlanta Game 4: at Atlanta Game 5 (if necessary): at New York Game 6 (if necessary): at Atlanta Game 7 (if necessary): at New York
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Game 1: at Cleveland on Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET Game 2: at Cleveland Game 3: at Toronto Game 4: at Toronto Game 5 (if necessary): at Cleveland Game 6 (if necessary): at Toronto Game 7 (if necessary): at Cleveland
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Western Conference first round
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-in winner
Game 1: at Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET Game 2: at Oklahoma City Game 3: at Play-in winner Game 4: at Play-in winner Game 5 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner Game 7 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City
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(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-in winner
Game 1: at San Antonio on Sunday, April 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET Game 2: at San Antonio Game 3: at Play-in winner Game 4: at Play-in winner Game 5 (if necessary): at San Antonio Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner Game 7 (if necessary): at San Antonio
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Game 1: at Denver on Saturday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. ET Game 2: at Denver Game 3: at Minnesota Game 4: at Minnesota Game 5 (if necessary): at Denver Game 6 (if necessary): at Minnesota Game 7 (if necessary): at Denver
Game 1: at Los Angeles on Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET Game 2: at Los Angeles Game 3: at Houston Game 4: at Houston Game 5 (if necessary): at Los Angeles Game 6 (if necessary): at Houston Game 7 (if necessary): at Los Angeles
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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 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
