ESPN staffApr 12, 2026, 11:00 PM ET
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 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, 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. Play-in winner TBD
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference play-in
7. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Orlando Magic
9. Charlotte Hornets vs. 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 vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets
Western Conference play-in
7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. Portland Trail Blazers
9. LA Clippers vs. 10. Golden State Warriors
Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10
Play-in tournament schedule
Eastern Conference
(8) Orlando Magic at (7) Philadelphia 76ers
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
(10) Miami Heat at (9) Charlotte Hornets
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Winner 9/10 at Loser 7/8
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Western Conference
(8) Portland Trail Blazers at (7) Phoenix Suns
Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET
(10) Golden State Warriors at (9) LA Clippers
Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET
Winner 9/10 at 7/8 Loser
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
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Play-in winner
Game 1: at Detroit on Sunday, April 19, 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
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-in winner
Game 1: at Boston on Sunday, April 19, 1 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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(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks
Game 1: at New York on Saturday, 6 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
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors
Game 1: at Cleveland on Saturday, 1 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
Western Conference first round
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-in winner
Game 1: at Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 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
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-in winner
Game 1: at San Antonio on Sunday, April 19, 9 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
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
Game 1: at Denver on Saturday, 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
(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
Game 1: at Los Angeles on Saturday, 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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Wright: How the Rockets bullied their way to one of the NBA's best offenses
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
