NBA playoff bracket set
The NBA announced its postseason brackets after Sunday’s games, with the full first‑round schedule now published. (espn.com) Betting markets list Oklahoma City as the favorites to win the 2026 Finals while Boston leads the East in pricing, according to ESPN’s odds roundup. (espn.com)
The 2026 National Basketball Association playoff field is set, and the first round opens Saturday, April 18, after the Play-In Tournament filled most of the bracket. (nba.com) In the East, Detroit finished 60-22 for the No. 1 seed, Boston went 56-26 for No. 2, New York drew Atlanta in the 3-6 series, and Cleveland meets Toronto in the 4-5 matchup. (espn.com) In the West, Oklahoma City finished 64-18 for the top seed, San Antonio went 62-20 for No. 2, Denver meets Minnesota in the 3-6 series, and the Los Angeles Lakers face Houston in the 4-5 matchup. (espn.com) Two play-in results were already locked in by Friday: Philadelphia beat Orlando 109-97 to claim the East’s No. 7 seed and a first-round series with Boston, while Portland beat Phoenix 114-110 to take the West’s No. 7 seed and draw San Antonio. (espn.com) That left two No. 8 spots unresolved heading into Friday night, with Orlando playing Charlotte for Detroit’s side of the East bracket and Phoenix playing Golden State for Oklahoma City’s side of the West bracket. (nba.com) The schedule starts with four Game 1s on Saturday: Toronto at Cleveland at 1 p.m. Eastern, Minnesota at Denver at 3:30 p.m., Atlanta at New York at 6 p.m., and Houston at the Lakers at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com) Sunday’s opener brings Philadelphia at Boston at 1 p.m. Eastern, the West No. 8 seed at Oklahoma City at 3:30 p.m., the East No. 8 seed at Detroit at 6:30 p.m., and Portland at San Antonio at 9 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com) The bracket format does not reseed after each round, and every series is best-of-seven in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the better regular-season record hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. (espn.com) The title picture is tilted toward Oklahoma City in the betting markets. ESPN’s April 17 odds roundup listed the Thunder at +110 to win the Finals, ahead of San Antonio at +500 and Boston at +550, while Boston remained the shortest-priced team in the East at +155 to win the conference. (espn.com) The calendar now runs quickly: the first round began April 18, the Play-In Tournament ran April 14-17, and Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals is scheduled for June 3. (nba.com)
