Playoffs tip Saturday

The 2026 National Basketball Association playoffs open Saturday, April 18, with four Game 1s and Denver hosting Minnesota in the West’s 3-vs.-6 series. (nba.com) The league’s official schedule lists Cleveland-Toronto at 1 p.m. Eastern, Minnesota-Denver at 3:30 p.m., Atlanta-New York at 6 p.m., and Houston-Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. The other four first-round series begin Sunday, April 19, after the Play-In Tournament ends Friday night. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Denver and Minnesota already know the full outline of their series: Game 1 is Saturday in Denver, Game 2 is Monday, April 20, Games 3 and 4 shift to Minneapolis on April 23 and April 25, and Games 5 through 7, if needed, run through May 2. Denver enters as the No. 3 seed at 54-28, and Minnesota is the No. 6 seed at 49-33. (nba.com) This matchup is getting early attention because it is the third Nuggets-Timberwolves playoff meeting in four years. Minnesota also reached the Western Conference finals in 2024 and 2025, which gives the series more recent postseason history than most first-round pairings. (cbssports.com) (nba.com) Nikola Jokić is central to that focus. The Associated Press reported that he became the first player to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game since 1969-70, then brought Denver into the playoffs after what AP called the first major injury absence of his National Basketball Association career. (rmoutlook.com) That injury was a hyperextended left knee that cost Jokić 16 games, according to AP pickup coverage of his return and postseason ramp-up. He still appeared in Denver’s regular-season finale on April 12, playing the first half against San Antonio to reach the 65-game threshold for league awards eligibility. (nationaltoday.com) (msn.com) The regular-season edge belongs to Denver. The Nuggets won the season series 3-1, including a 142-138 Christmas Day win, before Minnesota took the last meeting 117-108 on March 1. (nba.com) (espn.com) The broader bracket is still finishing around them. ESPN’s playoff tracker shows Philadelphia or Charlotte will claim the East’s final No. 8 seed Friday, while Phoenix meets the winner of Clippers-Warriors for the West’s last No. 8 spot. (espn.com) (nba.com) By late Friday, the field will be set. On Saturday, the postseason starts for real, and Denver-Minnesota is one of the first series on the board. (nba.com)