It's time to fill the remaining spots in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The final two playoff spots in each conference will be determined by a play-in tournament that begins Tuesday and ends Friday. From the East, the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks are looking to qualify, while from the West, the New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors are playoff candidates. becomes.
However, while the top two seeds in each conference do not yet know their first playoff opponents, other first-round series matchups have been determined.
Here's what we know so far about the NBA Playoffs bracket and Round 1 schedule.
When do the NBA Playoffs start?
The first game of the playoffs is scheduled for Saturday, April 20th.
What are the brackets for the first round of the NBA Playoffs?
Here's a summary of each conference's first round series:
eastern conference
- No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 seed (Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, or Philadelphia)
- 4th place Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5th place Orlando Magic
- 3rd place Milwaukee Bucks vs. 6th place Indiana Pacers
- 2nd place New York Knicks vs. 7th seed (Miami or Philadelphia)
western conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 seed (Golden State, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans or Sacramento)
- 4th place Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5th place Dallas Mavericks
- 3rd place Minnesota Timberwolves vs. 6th place Phoenix Suns
- No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 seed (Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans)
The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament has been decided. Here we introduce look matchups, seeds, and how they work.
What is the schedule for the first round of the NBA Playoffs?
The latest version of the first round schedule is below (* = if required):
eastern conference
1st seed Celtics vs. 8th seed
- Game 1: Undecided by Celtics. April 21st (Sunday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Undecided by Celtics. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 3: Celtics undecided. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 4: Celtics undecided. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 5*: Undecided by Celtics. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 6*: Celtics undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 7*: Undecided by Celtics. undecided (undecided, undecided)
2nd seed vs. 7th seed
- Game 1: Undecided on the Knicks. April 20th (Saturday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Undecided on the Knicks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 3: Knicks undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 4: Knicks undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 5*: Undecided on the Knicks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 6*: Knicks undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 7*: Undecided on the Knicks. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
3rd place Bucks vs. 6th place Pacers
- Game 1: Pacers vs. Bucks. April 21st (Sunday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Pacers vs. Bucks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 3: Pacers Bucks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 4: Pacers Bucks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 5*: Pacers vs. Bucks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 6*: Pacers Bucks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 7*: Pacers vs. Bucks. undecided (undecided, undecided)
4th place Cavaliers vs. 5th place Magic
- Game 1: Magic with the Cavaliers. April 20th (Saturday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Magic with the Cavaliers. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 3: Magic Cavaliers. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 4: Magic Cavaliers. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 5*: Magic with the Cavaliers. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 6*: Magic Cavaliers. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 7*: Magic with the Cavaliers. undecided (undecided, undecided)
western conference
1st seed Thunder vs. 8th seed
- Game 1: Undecided on Thunder. April 21st (Sunday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Undecided on Thunder. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 3: Thunder is undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 4: Thunder is undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 5*: Undecided on Thunder. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 6*: Thunder is undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 7*: Undecided on Thunder. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
2nd place Nuggets vs. 7th seed
- Game 1: Undecided by Nuggets. April 20th (Saturday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Undecided by Nuggets. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 3: Nuggets undecided. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 4: Nuggets undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 5*: Undecided by Nuggets. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 6*: Nugget is undecided. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 7*: Undecided by Nuggets. undecided (undecided, undecided)
3rd place Timberwolves vs. 6th place Suns
- Game 1: Timberwolves Suns. April 20th (Saturday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Timberwolves Suns. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 3: Timberwolves vs. Suns. Undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 4: Timberwolves vs. Suns. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 5*: Timberwolves Suns. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 6*: Timberwolves vs. Suns. undecided (undecided, undecided)
- Game 7*: Timberwolves Suns. undecided (undecided, undecided)
No. 4 Clippers vs. No. 5 Mavericks
- Game 1: Clippers Mavericks. April 21st (Sunday) (To be determined, to be determined)
- Game 2: Mavericks at Clippers, TBD (TBD, TBD)
- Game 3: Clippers at Mavericks, TBA (TBC, TBA)
- Game 4: Clippers at Mavericks, TBA (TBC, TBA)
- Game 5*: Mavericks at Clippers, TBD (TBD, TBD)
- Game 6*: Clippers at Mavericks, TBA (TBC, TBA)
- Game 7*: Mavericks at Clippers, TBD (TBD, TBD)
Where to watch NBA playoff games
NBA Playoff games will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and ABC.
Will the NBA playoffs change their seeding?
Unlike the NFL playoffs, teams are not reseeded after the first round. Therefore, the winner of the 1-8 matchup will play the winner of the 4-5 matchup in round 2, and the winner of the 2-7 matchup will play the winner of the 3-6 matchup.
When does the second round of the NBA Playoffs start?
The second round is scheduled to begin on May 6-7, but could be moved up to May 4-5 if the first round ends early.
