Playoffs tip‑off: NBA
The NBA playoffs officially begin April 18 now that the play‑in has set the bracket and first‑round schedule ( ). Early odds and previews opened with Oklahoma City and Boston listed as the favorites to represent their conferences in the NBA Finals ( ).
The National Basketball Association playoffs open Saturday, April 18, with the 16-team bracket set after the play-in tournament finished Friday night. (nba.com) Four Game 1s are on Saturday’s schedule: Raptors at Cavaliers, Timberwolves at Nuggets, Hawks at Knicks and Rockets at Lakers. The other four series begin Sunday, April 19, with 76ers at Celtics, Suns at Thunder, Magic at Pistons and Trail Blazers at Spurs. (espn.com) The play-in filled the last two No. 8 seeds. Orlando beat Charlotte 121-90 on Friday in the East, and Phoenix beat Golden State 111-96 in the West. (nba.com) The first round is still a best-of-seven format with no reseeding, so teams keep the path they earned in the regular season. The higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in the league’s 2-2-1-1-1 format. (espn.com) That setup puts the regular season at the center of the bracket. Oklahoma City and Detroit finished as the No. 1 seeds, while Boston, Cleveland, New York, Denver, Houston and San Antonio claimed the other top-four spots that open with home court. (espn.com) The betting market opened the postseason with Oklahoma City as the title favorite at +110 and Boston next at +550, according to ESPN’s odds page. San Antonio followed at +500, with Denver at +850 and Cleveland at +1700. (espn.com) Preview coverage also centered on Oklahoma City in the West and Boston in the East as the teams to beat, with the Thunder carrying the shortest championship odds and the Celtics opening against a Philadelphia team that came through the play-in. (espn.com) The calendar is already locked in beyond opening weekend. Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals is scheduled for June 3 after the play-in ran April 14-17 and the first round began April 18. (nba.com) By Saturday night, half the field will have played its first postseason game. By Sunday night, every series will be underway and the chase for the June 3 Finals opener will be fully in motion. (espn.com)
