What to know for Round 1 of the NBA playoffs: Bracket, schedule and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The 2025 NBA playoffs have tipped off.
The last two playoff berths were awarded last Friday as the play-in tournament wrapped up, with the 10th-place Miami Heat making play-in history with an overtime win against the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks and the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies cruising past the Dallas Mavericks to grab the No. 8 playoff seed out West.
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The playoffs began over the weekend with all eight first-round series playing their first game.
With the 16-team bracket underway, here’s a look at the first-round matchups, schedule, and more to know:
When do the NBA playoffs start?
The playoffs began on Saturday, April 19.
How do the NBA playoffs work?
First-round matchups in each conference are No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5. All postseason series are best of seven where the higher seed has home-court advantage in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7.
Do the NBA playoffs reseed teams?
The playoffs follow a bracket format and don’t reseed teams after the first round. That means, for instance, the winner of a 1-8 matchup will meet the winner of a 4-5 matchup in Round 2, regardless of the other first-round results.
What teams are in the NBA playoffs?
The six automatic playoff berths in the East were claimed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. The Orlando Magic and the Heat then joined the field via the play-in.
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Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves secured top-six spots before the Golden State Warriors and the Grizzlies advanced through the play-in.
What are the NBA playoff matchups?
Here’s a look at the bracket:
Eastern Conference
1. Cavaliers
8. Heat
4. Pacers
5. Bucks
3. Knicks
6. Pistons
2. Celtics
7. Magic
Western Conference
1. Thunder
8. Grizzlies
4. Nuggets
5. Clippers
3. Lakers
6. Timberwolves
2. Rockets
7. Warriors
What’s the schedule for the first round of the NBA playoffs?
Here are the schedule details for each first-round series ( * = if necessary):
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Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Heat
Game 1: Cavaliers 121, Heat 100
Game 2: Heat at Cavaliers — Wednesday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3: Cavaliers at Heat — Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4: Cavaliers at Heat — Monday, April 28, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 5*: Heat at Cavaliers — Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Cavaliers at Heat — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Heat at Cavaliers — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Magic
Game 1: Celtics 103, Magic 86
Game 2: Magic at Celtics — Wednesday, April 23, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3: Celtics at Magic — Friday, April 25, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4: Celtics at Magic — Sunday, April 27, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5*: Magic at Celtics — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Celtics at Magic — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Magic at Celtics — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Pistons
Game 1: Knicks 123, Pistons 112
Game 2: Pistons 100, Knicks 94
Game 3: Knicks at Pistons — Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4: Knicks at Pistons — Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5: Pistons at Knicks — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Knicks at Pistons — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Pistons at Knicks — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
No. 4 Pacers vs. No. 5 Bucks
Game 1: Pacers 117, Bucks 98
Game 2: Pacers 123, Bucks 115
Game 3: Pacers at Bucks — Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV/ESPNU
Game 4: Pacers at Bucks — Sunday, April 27, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5*: Bucks at Pacers — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Pacers at Bucks — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Bucks at Pacers — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Western Conference
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 Grizzlies
Game 1: Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80
Game 2: Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99
Game 3: Thunder at Grizzlies — Thursday, April 24, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4: Thunder at Grizzlies — Saturday, April 26, 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5*: Grizzlies at Thunder — Monday, April 28, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Thunder at Grizzlies — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Grizzlies at Thunder — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
No. 2 Rockets vs. No. 7 Warriors
Game 1: Warriors 95, Rockets 85
Game 2: Warriors at Rockets — Wednesday, April 23, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3: Rockets at Warriors — Saturday, April 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 4: Rockets at Warriors — Monday, April 28, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5*: Warriors at Rockets — Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Rockets at Warriors — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Warriors at Rockets — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Timberwolves
Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95
Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85
Game 3: Lakers at Timberwolves — Friday, April 25, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4: Lakers at Timberwolves — Sunday, April 27, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5: Timberwolves at Lakers — Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Lakers at Timberwolves — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Timberwolves at Lakers — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
No. 4 Nuggets vs. No. 5 Clippers
Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT)
Game 2: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102
Game 3: Nuggets at Clippers — Thursday, April 24, 10 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 4: Nuggets at Clippers — Saturday, April 26, 6 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5: Clippers at Nuggets — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Nuggets at Clippers — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: Clippers at Nuggets — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Where to watch and stream games in the 2025 NBA playoffs
First-round games will air nationally across ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV.
ESPN and ABC broadcasts can be streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
TNT broadcasts can be streamed on TNTDrama.com, the TNT app and Max.
NBA TV broadcasts are available to stream on NBA.com and the NBA app.
What are the 2025 NBA playoff dates?
The second round is slated to get underway May 5-6, though those start dates could be moved up to May 3-4. The conference finals will start as early as May 18-19 and as late as May 20-21.
When are the 2025 NBA Finals?
The Finals are scheduled to start Thursday, June 5, with a potential Game 7 slated for Sunday, June 22.
Editor’s note: The original version of this story was published on April 11.