2026 NBA playoffs schedule: Game times, dates for first-round matchups
The 2026 NBA playoffs kick off on April 18, and game times are set for the opening weekend and Play-In Tournament
By
Brad Botkin
Apr 12, 2026
at
11:12 pm ET
•
2 min read
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The 2025-26 NBA regular season came to a close on Sunday, and the 20-team postseason bracket is set. The Play-In Tournament will be held from Tuesday through Firday to determine the No. 7 and 8 seeds in both conferences, and then the first round will tip off on Saturday. The dates for Game 1s of the first-round series were unveiled Sunday night.
While the play-in will determine half of the first-round matchups, we know four of the series. In the East, the third-seeded Knicks will face the sixth-seeded Hawks, and the fourth-seeded Cavaliers will square off with the fifth-seeded Raptors. In the West, it’s Nuggets-Timberwolves in the 3-6 matchup and Lakers-Rockets in the 4-5. The Nuggets and Wolves are meeting in the postseason for the third time in four years. The Lakers vs. Rockets matchup, meanwhile, pits LeBron James against Kevin Durant in the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 NBA Finals when Durant’s Warriors beat James’ Cavaliers.
The top seeds in each conference need to await the results of the play-in to see who they face in the first round. They also need to wait a day to get their first-round series started. The Pistons, Celtics, Thunder and Spurs will all host Game 1s on Sunday.
Here’s a look at all the playoff dates and game times that we know so far.
Play-In Tournament schedule
Tuesday, April 14
Hornets vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Loser is eliminated from postseason
Suns vs. Trail Blazers/Clippers, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets West No. 7 seed
Wednesday, April 15
76ers vs. Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets East No. 7 seed
Trail Blazers/Clippers vs. Warriors, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Loser is eliminated from postseason
Friday, April 17
76ers/Magic vs. Hornets/Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets East No. 8 seed, loser is eliminated from postseason
TBD vs. TBD, 10 p.m. ET, Prime — Winner gets West No. 8 seed, loser is eliminated from postseason
2026 NBA playoffs schedule
All times Eastern. Games on ABC and ESPN are streaming on fubo (Try for free).
Saturday, April 18
No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Raptors, 1 p.m., Prime
No. 3 Nuggets vs. No. 6 Timberwolves, 3:30 p.m., Prime
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Hawks, 6 p.m., Prime
No. 4 Lakers vs. No. 5 Rockets, 8:30 p.m., ABC/fubo
Sunday, April 19
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 TBD, 1 p.m., ABC/fubo
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD, 3:30 p.m., ABC/fubo
No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 TBD, 6:30 p.m., NBC
No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 7 TBD, 9 p.m., NBC
The rest of the first-round schedule will be released in the coming days.
