The 2025 NBA playoffs have tipped off.
The last two playoff berths were awarded 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.
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.
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):
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Heat (Cleveland won series 4-0)
Game 1: Cavaliers 121, Heat 100
Game 2: Cavaliers 121, Heat 112
Game 3: Cavaliers 124, Heat 84
Game 4: Cavaliers 138, Heat 83
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Magic (Boston won series 4-1)
Game 1: Celtics 103, Magic 86
Game 2: Celtics 109, Magic 100
Game 3: Magic 95, Celtics 93
Game 4: Celtics 107, Magic 98
Game 5: Celtics 120, Magic 89
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Pistons (New York won series 4-2)
Game 1: Knicks 123, Pistons 112
Game 2: Pistons 100, Knicks 94
Game 3: Knicks 118, Pistons 116
Game 4: Knicks 94, Pistons 93
Game 5: Pistons 106, Knicks 103
Game 6: Knicks 116, Pistons 113
No. 4 Pacers vs. No. 5 Bucks (Indiana won series 4-1)
Game 1: Pacers 117, Bucks 98
Game 2: Pacers 123, Bucks 115
Game 3: Bucks 117, Pacers 101
Game 4: Pacers 129, Bucks 103
Game 5: Pacers 119, Bucks 118 (OT)
Western Conference
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 Grizzlies (Oklahoma City won series 4-0)
Game 1: Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80
Game 2: Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99
Game 3: Thunder 114, Grizzlies 108
Game 4: Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115
No. 2 Rockets vs. No. 7 Warriors (Golden State won series 4-3)
Game 1: Warriors 95, Rockets 85
Game 2: Rockets 109, Warriors 94
Game 3: Warriors 104, Rockets 93
Game 4: Warriors 109, Rockets 106
Game 5: Rockets 131, Warriors 116
Game 6: Rockets 115, Warriors 107
Game 7: Warriors 103, Rockets 89
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Timberwolves (Minnesota won series 4-1)
Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95
Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85
Game 3: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 104
Game 4: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113
Game 5: Timberwolves 103, Lakers 96
No. 4 Nuggets vs. No. 5 Clippers (Denver won series 4-3)
Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT)
Game 2: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102
Game 3: Clippers 117, Nuggets 83
Game 4: Nuggets 101, Clippers 99
Game 5: Nuggets 131, Clippers 115
Game 6: Clippers 111, Nuggets 105
Game 7: Nuggets 120, Clippers 101
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.
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