2026 NBA Playoffs at a Glance
- Play-In Results: The Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic clinched the final two spots Friday night.
- First Round Start Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026.
- Defending Champions: Oklahoma City Thunder
- Primary TV Partners: ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.
Want to build your own custom bracket? Use our free 2026 NBA Bracket Maker to randomize seeds and share with friends.
Last Updated: April 18th, 2026
2026 NBA Postseason Key Dates & Schedule
The 2025-26 season marks the first year of the NBA’s landmark 11-year media rights deal. This change introduces a new viewing rhythm for fans, with playoff coverage now spanning traditional broadcast networks and major streaming platforms.
Important Postseason Milestones:
- Regular Season Ends: April 12, 2026
- NBA Play-In Tournament: April 14–17, 2026
- NBA Playoffs Start: April 18, 2026
- Conference Semifinals: May 5–6, 2026
- Conference Finals: May 20, 2026
- NBA Finals Game 1: June 3, 2026
- NBA Finals Game 7 (if nec.): June 19, 2026
Expert Note from the SportsBrackets Analyst: The 2026 NBA Finals feature a unique Wednesday-Friday-Monday rotation for the first three games, a shift designed to optimize rest cycles and travel days. When filling out your bracket, keep a close eye on the Western Conference Wild Card spots; with the addition of Amazon Prime as a Friday night broadcaster, teams with heavy national exposure during the regular season often show better road resilience in the early rounds.
When does the 2026 NBA Playoff Start?
The 2026 NBA Playoffs start with the Play-in tournament. The tournament is held right after the regular season concludes. The Play-in tourney takes place April 14-17th, 2026 this year. The first round of the NBA Playoffs gets started on April 18th, 2026. (tentative)
2026 NBA Playoff Schedule
Here’s the high-level 2026 NBA Playoff schedule. In the NBA, there are four rounds of play in the postseason. The NBA allows the postseason schedule to be fluid between the first round and the Finals. This way, if you see too many sweeps, we don’t have as long of a pause in the action.
- SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament: April 14-17, 2026
- NBA Playoffs First Round: Begins April 18, 2026
- Conference Semifinals: Tentatively May 5-6, 2026 (could start as early as May 3-4 depending on first-round outcomes)
- Conference Finals: Approximately May 20, 2026
- NBA Finals: Begins June 3, 2026, with potential Game 7 on June 19, 2026
- Game 1: Wednesday, June 3 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 2: Friday, June 5 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 3: Monday, June 8 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 4: Wednesday, June 10 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 5: Saturday, June 13 (if necessary, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 6: Tuesday, June 16 (if necessary, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 7: Friday, June 19 (if necessary, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Once we have all of the finalized seeds and brackets, we’ll update the NBA Playoff schedule and sports bracket for you to follow the tournament.
When Do the 2026 NBA Finals Take Place?
The 2026 NBA Finals take place around June 3-19, 2026. These are another best of seven game contest. Once a team gets to four wins, they win the NBA Championship. You can checkout all of the NBA Finals winners here too.
Confirmed 2026 NBA Playoff Seeds
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Status |
| 1 | Detroit Pistons | Clinched Home Court |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | Clinched |
| 3 | New York Knicks | Clinched |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Clinched |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | Clinched |
| 6 | Atlanta Hawks | Clinched |
| 7 | Philadelphia 76ers | Clinched |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | Clinched |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | Out |
| 10 | Miami Heat | Out |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Status |
| 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Clinched Home Court |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | Clinched |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets | Clinched |
| 4 | Los Angeles Lakers | Clinched |
| 5 | Houston Rockets | Clinched |
| 6 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Clinched |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers | Clinched |
| 8 | Phoenix Suns | Clinched |
| 9 | Los Angeles Clippers | Eliminated |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | Eliminated |
2026 NBA Play-In Schedule
Eastern Conference Play-In Schedule 2026
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Network |
| 9/10 Game | (10) Miami Heat @ (9) Charlotte Hornets | Tuesday, April 14 | 7:30 PM | Prime Video |
| 7/8 Game | (8) Orlando Magic @ (7) Philadelphia 76ers | Wednesday, April 15 | 7:30 PM | Prime Video |
| 8-Seed Game | Charlotte Hornets @ Orlando Magic | Friday, April 17 | 7:30 PM | Prime Video |
Western Conference Play-In Schedule 2026
The winner of the 7/8 game advances to face the San Antonio Spurs (#2). The final #8 seed will advance to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (#1).
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Network |
| 7/8 Game | (8) Portland Trail Blazers @ (7) Phoenix Suns | Tuesday, April 14 | 10:00 PM | Prime Video |
| 9/10 Game | (10) Golden State Warriors @ (9) LA Clippers | Wednesday, April 15 | 10:00 PM | Prime Video |
| 8-Seed Game | Golden State Warriors @ Phoenix Suns | Friday, April 17 | 10:00 PM | Prime Video |
2026 NBA Playoff Schedule
The 2026 NBA Playoff schedule kicks off right after the Play-in tournament concludes.
2026 NBA Playoffs – First Round
Eastern Conference First Round Schedule
(1) Detroit vs. (8) TBD
- Game 1: Orlando at Detroit | Sunday, April 19 (6:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
- Game 2: Orlando at Detroit | TBD
- Game 3: Detroit at Orlando | TBD
- Game 4: Detroit at Orlando | TBD
- Game 5: Orlando at Detroit* | TBD
- Game 6: Detroit at Orlando* | TBD
- Game 7: Orlando at Detroit* | TBD
(2) Boston vs. (7) Philadelphia
- Game 1: Philadelphia at Boston | Sunday, April 19 (1 ET, ABC)
- Game 2: Philadelphia at Boston | TBD
- Game 3: Boston at Philadelphia | TBD
- Game 4: Boston at Philadelphia | TBD
- Game 5: Philadelphia at Boston* | TBD
- Game 6: Boston at Philadelphia* | TBD
- Game 7: Philadelphia at Boston* | TBD
(3) New York vs. (6) Atlanta
- Game 1: Atlanta at New York | Saturday, April 18 (6 ET, Prime Video)
- Game 2: Atlanta at New York | TBD
- Game 3: New York at Atlanta | TBD
- Game 4: New York at Atlanta | TBD
- Game 5: Atlanta at New York* | TBD
- Game 6: New York at Atlanta* | TBD
- Game 7: Atlanta at New York* | TBD
(4) Cleveland vs. (5) Toronto
- Game 1: Toronto at Cleveland | Saturday, April 18 (1 ET, Prime Video)
- Game 2: Toronto at Cleveland | TBD
- Game 3: Cleveland at Toronto | TBD
- Game 4: Cleveland at Toronto | TBD
- Game 5: Toronto at Cleveland* | TBD
- Game 6: Cleveland at Toronto* | TBD
- Game 7: Toronto at Cleveland* | TBD
Western Conference First Round Schedule
(1) Oklahoma City vs. (8) Phoenix
- Game 1: Phoenix at Oklahoma City | Sunday, April 19 (3:30 ET, ABC)
- Game 2: Phoenix at Oklahoma City | TBD
- Game 3: Oklahoma City at Phoenix | TBD
- Game 4: Oklahoma City at Phoenix| TBD
- Game 5: Phoenix at Oklahoma City* | TBD
- Game 6: Oklahoma City at Phoenix* | TBD
- Game 7: Phoenix at Oklahoma City* | TBD
(2) San Antonio vs. (7) Portland
- Game 1: Portland at San Antonio | Sunday, April 19 (9 ET, NBC/Peacock)
- Game 2: Portland at San Antonio | TBD
- Game 3: San Antonio at Portland | TBD
- Game 4: San Antonio at Portland | TBD
- Game 5: Portland at San Antonio* | TBD
- Game 6: San Antonio at Portland * | TBD
- Game 7: Portland at San Antonio* | TBD
(3) Denver vs. (6) Minnesota
- Game 1: Minnesota at Denver | Saturday, April 18 (3:30 ET, Prime Video)
- Game 2: Minnesota at Denver | TBD
- Game 3: Denver at Minnesota | TBD
- Game 4: Denver at Minnesota | TBD
- Game 5: Minnesota at Denver* | TBD
- Game 6: Denver at Minnesota* | TBD
- Game 7: Minnesota at Denver* | TBD
(4) Los Angeles vs. (5) Houston
- Game 1: Houston at Los Angeles | Saturday, April 18 (8:30 ET, ABC)
- Game 2: Houston at Los Angeles | TBD
- Game 3: Los Angeles at Houston | TBD
- Game 4: Los Angeles at Houston | TBD
- Game 5: Houston at Los Angeles* | TBD
- Game 6: Los Angeles at Houston* | TBD
- Game 7: Houston at Los Angeles* | TBD
* = If necessary
2026 NBA Playoffs – Conference Semifinals
| MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Winner of 1-8 vs. Winner of 4-5 | May 6-7 | TBD | TBD |
| Winner of 2-7 vs. Winner of 3-6 | May 6-7 | TBD | TBD |
2026 NBA Playoffs – Conference Finals
| MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Winner of 1-4-5-8 vs. Winner of 2-3-6-7 | May 21-22 | TBD | TBD |
2026 NBA Playoffs – Finals
| GAME | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Game 1 | June 3 | 8:30 PM | ABC |
| Game 2 | June 5 | 8:00 PM | ABC |
| Game 3 | June 8 | 8:30 PM | ABC |
| Game 4 | June 10 | 8:30 PM | ABC |
| Game 5* | June 13 | 8:30 PM | ABC |
| Game 6* | June 16 | 8:30 PM | ABC |
| Game 7* | June 19 | 8:00 PM | ABC |
Printable 2026 NBA Playoff Bracket
Most fans enjoy having a printable 2026 NBA playoff bracket. The bracket can be printed to PDF or as is if you prefer to have it on a piece of paper to follow the action. You can checkout the 2025 NBA Playoff bracket here.
2026 NBA Playoffs FAQ
When do the Philadelphia 76ers play the Boston Celtics? Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 3:30 PM ET on ABC. This marks the first postseason meeting between these historic rivals since 2023.
Who does the winner of the Warriors vs. Suns play? The winner of Friday night’s elimination game in Phoenix will become the #8 seed in the West and face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
What is the Friday, April 17 Play-In schedule?
- East: (9) Charlotte Hornets at (8) Orlando Magic — 7:00 PM ET (TNT)
- West: (10) Golden State Warriors at (9) Phoenix Suns — 9:30 PM ET (ESPN)
Which first-round matchups are already locked?
- West: (2) Spurs vs. (7) Blazers | (3) Nuggets vs. (6) Timberwolves | (4) Lakers vs. (5) Rockets
- East: (2) Celtics vs. (7) 76ers | (3) Knicks vs. (6) Hawks | (4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Raptors
Are the #1 seeds set? Yes. The Detroit Pistons (East) and Oklahoma City Thunder (West) will face the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns.
Map Out the Madness: Use our Custom NBA Bracket Maker
With only two spots left in the 16-team field, now is the time to lock in your predictions. Can the 38-year-old Steph Curry lead the Warriors all the way from the #10 spot to a first-round upset of OKC? Or will the 76ers’ physical defense disrupt the Celtics’ title defense?
Use our Custom Bracket Maker to:
- Seed the Finish
- Analyze the Matchups: Visualize the 2-7 matchups, including the highly-anticipated Spurs vs. Blazers series.
- Print & Share: Generate your final “Locked-In” 2026 NBA Bracket PDF before the first round tips off this Saturday.
Don’t miss the start of the season; see the 2026 Indiana Fever Schedule & TV Broadcasts.
