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The 2026 NBA playoffs kick off on April 18, and game times are set for the opening weekend and Play-In Tournament
Apr 12, 2026
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11:12 pm ET
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The 2025-26 NBA regular season came to a close on Sunday, and the 20-team postseason bracket is set. The Play-In Tournament will be held from Tuesday through Firday to determine the No. 7 and 8 seeds in both conferences, and then the first round will tip off on Saturday. The dates for Game 1s of the first-round series were announced Sunday night.
While the play-in will determine half of the first-round matchups, we know four of the series. In the East, the third-seeded Knicks will face the sixth-seeded Hawks, and the fourth-seeded Cavaliers will square off with the fifth-seeded Raptors. In the West, it’s Nuggets-Timberwolves in the 3-6 matchup and Lakers-Rockets in the 4-5. The Nuggets and Wolves are meeting in the postseason for the third time in four years. The Lakers vs. Rockets matchup, meanwhile, pits LeBron James against Kevin Durant in the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 NBA Finals when Durant’s Warriors beat James’ Cavaliers.
The top seeds in each conference need to await the results of the play-in to see who they face in the first round. They also need to wait a day to get their first-round series started. The Pistons, Celtics, Thunder and Spurs will all host Game 1s on Sunday.
Here’s a look at all the playoff dates and game times that we know so far.
Play-In Tournament schedule Tuesday, April 14
Hornets vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Loser is eliminated from postseason Suns vs. Trail Blazers/Clippers, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets West No. 7 seed Wednesday, April 15
76ers vs. Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets East No. 7 seed Trail Blazers/Clippers vs. Warriors, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Loser is eliminated from postseason Friday, April 17
76ers/Magic vs. Hornets/Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets East No. 8 seed, loser is eliminated from postseason TBD vs. TBD, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets West No. 8 seed, loser is eliminated from postseason 2026 NBA playoffs schedule All times Eastern. Games on ABC and ESPN are streaming on fubo (Try for free).
Saturday, April 18
No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Raptors, 1 p.m., Prime No. 3 Nuggets vs. No. 6 Timberwolves, 3:30 p.m., Prime No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Hawks, 6 p.m., Prime No. 4 Lakers vs. No. 5 Rockets, 8:30 p.m., ABC/fubo Sunday, April 19
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 TBD, 1 p.m., ABC/fubo No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD, 3:30 p.m., ABC/fubo No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 TBD, 6:30 p.m., NBC No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 7 TBD, 9 p.m., NBC The rest of the first-round schedule will be released in the coming days.
2026 NBA playoffs key dates April 18-19: First-round series begin May 2-4: Second round begins May 10: 2026 NBA Draft Lottery May 19: Eastern Conference Finals begin May 20: Western Conference Finals begin June 3: NBA Finals Game 1 June 19: NBA Finals Game 7 (if necessary)
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