{"id":866026,"date":"2026-04-14T06:54:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/866026\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T06:54:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:54:51","slug":"nba-playoffs-schedule-2026-updated-matchups-for-play-in-tournament-and-first-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/866026\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA playoffs schedule 2026: Updated matchups for Play-In Tournament and first round"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>And so begins the NBA postseason, gauntlet of champions for the game of runs. This is where legends are minted and historical records get updated.<\/p>\n<p>The first round ushers in a specific, fevered excitement. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder launch their official defense of the Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy; Victor Wembanyama\u2019s San Antonio Spurs and Nikola Joki\u0107\u2019s Denver Nuggets lead the opposition in a deep Western Conference.<\/p>\n<p>Over in the East, Cade Cunningham has the surging Detroit Pistons at No. 1. The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are among the viable challengers.<\/p>\n<p>But before we get there, the NBA Play-In Tournament cooks up knockout basketball from Tuesday through Friday. This year\u2019s edition should not be slept on, with both red-hot risers (Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets) and prime-time staples (Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors).<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the schedule for all the opening action. Dates and matchups will be updated as they are announced, so be sure to check back. All times listed are Eastern.<\/p>\n<p>You can watch the NBA playoffs live on Fubo (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Stream Free Now!<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>2026 NBA Play-In Tournament schedule<\/p>\n<p>All six Play-In matchups are exclusive to Prime Video. The streamer\u2019s play-by-play roster includes Ian Eagle (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DU9m9-YAIcp\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Oh yeah!<\/a>\u201c), Kevin Harlan (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Tg_NoZ-Nip4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">With no regard for human life!<\/a>\u201c) and Eric Collins (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jzDmeGxtKMM\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">*feverish screaming*<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>East: No. 10 Miami Heat at No. 9 Charlotte Hornets <\/p>\n<p>Date: Tuesday, April 14<br \/>Time: 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>West: No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7 Phoenix Suns<\/p>\n<p>Date: Tuesday, April 14<br \/>Time: 10 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>East: No. 8 Orlando Magic at No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Date: Wednesday, April 15<br \/>Time: 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>West: No. 10 Golden State Warriors at No. 9 LA Clippers<\/p>\n<p>Date: Wednesday, April 15<br \/>Time: 10 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>The winners of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games go straight into the bracket as seventh seeds. Losers hang tight and host an elimination game Friday. Take the L in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup and the season is over. Get the W and earn a road game Friday night.<\/p>\n<p>East: No. 9\/10 winner at No. 7\/8 loser<\/p>\n<p>Date: Friday, April 17<br \/>Time: 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>West: No. 9\/10 winner at No. 7\/8 loser\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Date: Friday, April 17<br \/>Time: 10 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Win or go home. Friday\u2019s victors slot in as the eighth seeds.<\/p>\n<p>2026 NBA playoffs first-round schedule<\/p>\n<p>Playoffs start in full on Saturday, April 18. The first-round broadcasters are ABC\/ESPN, NBC\/Peacock and Prime Video.<\/p>\n<p>East: No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8<br \/>\nGame 1 at Detroit: Sunday, April 19, 6:30 p.m. (NBC\/Peacock)<br \/>\nGame 2 at Detroit: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at No. 8: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at No. 8: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at Detroit*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at No. 8*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at Detroit*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>East: No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7<br \/>\nGame 1 at Boston: Sunday, April 19, 1 p.m. (ABC)<br \/>\nGame 2 at Boston: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at No. 7: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at No. 7: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at Boston*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at No. 7*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at Boston*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>East: No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks<br \/>\nGame 1 at New York: Saturday, April 18, 6 p.m. (Prime Video)<br \/>\nGame 2 at New York: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at Atlanta: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at Atlanta: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at New York*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at Atlanta*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at New York*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>East: No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors<br \/>\nGame 1 at Cleveland: Saturday, April 18, 1 p.m. (Prime Video)<br \/>\nGame 2 at Cleveland: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at Toronto: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at Toronto: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at Cleveland*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at Toronto*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at Cleveland*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>West: No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8<br \/>\nGame 1 at Oklahoma City: Sunday, April 19, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)<br \/>\nGame 2 at Oklahoma City: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at No. 8: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at No. 8: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at Oklahoma City*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at No. 8*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at Oklahoma City*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>West: No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7<br \/>\nGame 1 at San Antonio: Sunday, April 19, 9 p.m. (NBC\/Peacock)<br \/>\nGame 2 at San Antonio: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at No. 7: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at No. 7: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at San Antonio*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at No. 7*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at San Antonio*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>West: No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves<br \/>\nGame 1 at Denver: Saturday, April 18, 3:30 p.m. (Prime Video)<br \/>\nGame 2 at Denver: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at Minnesota: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at Minnesota: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at Denver*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at Minnesota*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at Denver*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>West: No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets<br \/>\nGame 1 at Los Angeles: Saturday, April 18, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)<br \/>\nGame 2 at Los Angeles: TBD<br \/>\nGame 3 at Houston: TBD<br \/>\nGame 4 at Houston: TBD<br \/>\nGame 5 at Los Angeles*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 6 at Houston*: TBD<br \/>\nGame 7 at Los Angeles*: TBD<\/p>\n<p>* if necessary<\/p>\n<p>Watching in person?\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stubhub.prf.hn\/click\/camref:1101lvXI5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-index=\"11\">Get tickets on StubHub<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Official NBA playoffs single-game records<br \/>\nPoints \u2014 Michael Jordan, 63 in 1986 (Bulls vs. Celtics)<br \/>\nRebounds \u2014 Wilt Chamberlain, 41 in 1967 (76ers vs. Celtics)<br \/>\nAssists (tie)\u00a0\u2014 Magic Johnson, 24 in 1984 (Lakers vs. Suns); John Stockton, 24 in 1988 (Jazz vs. Lakers)<br \/>\nSteals\u00a0\u2014 Allen Iverson, 10 in 1999 (76ers vs. Magic)<br \/>\nBlocks (tie) \u2014 Mark Eaton, 10 in 1985 (Jazz vs. Rockets); Hakeem Olajuwon, 10 in 1990 (Rockets vs. Lakers); and Andrew Bynum, 10 in 2012 (Lakers vs. Nuggets)<br \/>\nMade 3s \u2014 Damian Lillard, 12 in 2021 (Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets)<br \/>\nTurnovers \u2014 James Harden, 12 in 2015 (Rockets vs. Warriors)<\/p>\n<p>Ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply.\u00a0The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"And so begins the NBA postseason, gauntlet of champions for the game of runs. This is where legends&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":866027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[18890,14009,30455,11528,15058,18375,7,3647,13729,30460,3512,10971,23079,155,10290,6,84,23090,20114,18830,18534,30458,30459,30456],"class_list":{"0":"post-866026","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-playoffs","8":"tag-atlanta-hawks","9":"tag-boston-celtics","10":"tag-charlotte-hornets","11":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","12":"tag-denver-nuggets","13":"tag-detroit-pistons","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-golden-state-warriors","16":"tag-houston-rockets","17":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","18":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","19":"tag-miami-heat","20":"tag-minnesota-timberwolves","21":"tag-nba","22":"tag-new-york-knicks","23":"tag-nfl","24":"tag-nfl-playoffs","25":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","26":"tag-orlando-magic","27":"tag-philadelphia-76ers","28":"tag-phoenix-suns","29":"tag-portland-trail-blazers","30":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","31":"tag-toronto-raptors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116401752254723671","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}