Playoffs kick Saturday
The NBA published the full first‑round schedule, with games set to begin April 18 and run through a window that could stretch to May 3. (cbssports.com) ESPN notes the play‑in only handled the last adjustments to the bracket, so tonight’s winners immediately slot into that published first‑round plan. (espn.com)
The National Basketball Association’s first round starts Saturday, April 18, with four Game 1s on the schedule before the other four series open Sunday. (nba.com) The league’s official bracket page lists Cleveland Cavaliers-Toronto Raptors at 1 p.m. Eastern, Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves at 3:30 p.m., New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks at 6 p.m., and Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. (nba.com) Sunday’s openers are Boston Celtics vs. the East No. 7 seed at 1 p.m. Eastern, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the West No. 8 seed at 3:30 p.m., Detroit Pistons vs. the East No. 8 seed at 6:30 p.m., and San Antonio Spurs vs. the West No. 7 seed at 9 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com) The bracket was mostly set when the regular season ended, but the SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 14-17 decided the last four playoff spots. The National Basketball Association says the play-in winners drop straight into the first-round schedule that was already published. (nba.com) (espn.com) Two of those play-in questions were answered before Friday: the Philadelphia 76ers earned the East’s No. 7 seed, and Portland Trail Blazers took the West’s No. 7 seed. Friday’s final play-in games decide the No. 8 seeds, with Charlotte Hornets playing Orlando Magic in the East and Golden State Warriors playing Phoenix Suns in the West. (cbssports.com) (espn.com) That means Boston now knows it will open against Philadelphia on Sunday, while San Antonio will face Portland in its Game 1 on Sunday night. Detroit and Oklahoma City still wait on Friday’s winners to fill the last two first-round lines. (espn.com) (nba.com) The first round is a best-of-seven format, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 under the 2-2-1-1-1 setup. The National Basketball Association’s schedule page shows the opening round could extend to Sunday, May 3, if multiple series go the distance. (espn.com) (cbssports.com) The calendar behind Round 1 is already fixed beyond opening weekend. The league says the conference semifinals are scheduled to begin May 5-6, the conference finals on May 19-20, and the National Basketball Association Finals on June 3. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) So by late Friday night, every first-round matchup will be locked, and less than 24 hours later the postseason will be on the floor. The schedule is no longer waiting on the bracket; the bracket is catching up to the schedule. (espn.com) (nba.com)
