NBA playoffs begin

The 2026 National Basketball Association playoffs start Saturday, with four first-round Game 1s on April 18 and the Finals set for June 3. (nba.com) Saturday’s openers are 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 Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Cleveland-Toronto, Denver-Minnesota and New York-Atlanta are on Prime Video, and Lakers-Rockets is on ABC. (nba.com) Sunday adds four more Game 1s: Philadelphia at Boston at 1 p.m. Eastern on ABC, Phoenix at Oklahoma City at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, Orlando at Detroit at 6:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock, and Portland at San Antonio at 9 p.m. on NBC and Peacock. (nba.com) The bracket was partly settled before the week began. Detroit, Boston, New York and Cleveland locked in the top four seeds in the East, while Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver and the Lakers did the same in the West. (nba.com) The last four playoff spots were decided in the SoFi Play-In Tournament from April 14 through April 17, the National Basketball Association’s four-day format for teams that finish seventh through 10th in each conference. Orlando beat Charlotte 121-90 on Friday night for the East’s No. 8 seed, and Phoenix beat Golden State 111-96 for the West’s No. 8 seed. (nba.com) (espn.com) Portland had already claimed the West’s No. 7 seed, and Philadelphia had already taken the East’s No. 7 seed, finishing the eight-team field in each conference. That left first-round matchups of Pistons-Magic, Celtics-76ers, Knicks-Hawks, Cavaliers-Raptors, Thunder-Suns, Spurs-Blazers, Nuggets-Timberwolves and Lakers-Rockets. (nba.com) This postseason opens with two unfamiliar top seeds. Detroit is the No. 1 seed in the East, and Oklahoma City is the No. 1 seed in the West after the Thunder also entered the playoffs as defending National Basketball Association champions. (nba.com) The schedule now runs on a fixed path through mid-June. The Finals begin Wednesday, June 3, on ABC, with Games 2 through 7 scheduled for June 5, 8, 10, 13, 16 and 19 if the series goes the distance. (nba.com)