All first-round series live
- The NBA first round is fully underway with all eight matchups now active. - Sporting News and CBS updated full brackets, dates, TV windows, and schedules. - With every series active, schedules, odds, and viewing windows are shifting daily. ( )
All eight National Basketball Association first-round series are now live, and the 2026 playoff bracket is moving from setup to daily scoreboard math. (nba.com) The first round began on April 18 after the Play-In Tournament ran April 14-17, and the National Basketball Association says the round can extend to Sunday, May 3 if any series reaches Game 7. (nba.com) As of Friday, April 24, three Eastern Conference series have already swung: Atlanta leads New York 2-1, Cleveland leads Toronto 2-1, and Detroit-Orlando and Boston-Philadelphia are tied 1-1. (nba.com) The Western Conference is split between two series already leaning and two still opening up. Oklahoma City leads Phoenix 2-0, the Lakers lead Houston 2-0, Minnesota leads Denver 2-1, and San Antonio-Portland is tied 1-1. (nba.com) Friday’s schedule has three Game 3s: Celtics at 76ers at 7 p.m. Eastern, Lakers at Rockets at 8 p.m., and Spurs at Trail Blazers at 10:30 p.m. All three are listed on Prime Video. (sportingnews.com) Saturday shifts to a mixed broadcast slate. Magic-Pistons Game 3 is at 1 p.m. Eastern on Peacock, Suns-Thunder Game 3 is at 3:30 p.m. on NBC, Hawks-Knicks Game 4 is at 6 p.m. on NBC, and Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 4 is at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. (sportingnews.com) This is the first postseason under the league’s new three-platform early-round setup, with games divided among ESPN and ABC, NBC and Peacock, and Prime Video. Sporting News says the NBA Finals remain exclusive to ABC. (sportingnews.com) The bracket also changed after the play-in field narrowed from 20 teams to 16. CBS Sports reports the 76ers, Magic, Trail Blazers and Suns advanced into the playoff field, while the Heat, Clippers, Hornets and Warriors were eliminated in the play-in. (cbssports.com) Some series already have pressure points. NBA.com lists Houston entering Friday down 0-2 to the Lakers, while Phoenix trails Oklahoma City 0-2 and must host Game 3 on Saturday. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The next few days will decide whether this round stays crowded deep into May or starts clearing early. For now, every matchup is active, every window is staggered, and the bracket is finally behaving like a full postseason. (nba.com)
