The NBA’s regular season has finally come to an end after a gruelling 82-game stretch since October. The seedings have now been finalized for both the Eastern and the Western conferences, and now we get a clearer look at what the 2026 playoffs would look like.
Eastern Conference
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. TBD (8)
(2) Boston Celtics vs. TBD (7)
(3) New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks (6)
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors (5)
Play-In Tournament
(7) Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic (8)
(9) Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat (10)
Western Conference
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. TBD (8)
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. TBD (7)
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets (5)
Play-In Tournament
(7) Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers (8)
(9) Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors (10)
2026 Play-In Tournament Schedule
Regarding the schedule, the play-in tournament will be hosted from April 14 to 17. From the East, the Hornets will face the Heat, and the 76ers will face the Magic. The seventh seed from the East will be the winner between the 76ers and the Magic.
The eighth seed will be the team that wins the play-in tournament qualifier between the loser of the matchup between the seventh (the 76ers) and the eighth seed (the Magic) and the winner of the ninth (the Hornets) and tenth seed’s (the Heat) matchup.
Similarly, in the West, the Clippers will face the Warriors, and the Suns will face the Trail Blazers. The seventh seed will be the winner between the Suns and the Trail Blazers. And the eighth seed will be the winner of the qualifier between the loser of the Suns vs. Trail Blazers matchup (seventh vs. eighth) and the winner of the Clippers vs Warriors game (ninth vs. tenth).
This is the schedule for the play-in tournament:
Tuesday, April 14
Hornets vs Heat, 7:30 PM ET
Suns vs. Trail Blazers, 10:00 PM ET
Wednesday, April 15
76ers vs. Magic, 7:30 PM ET
Clippers vs. Warriors, 10:00 PM ET
Friday, April 17
76ers/Magic (loser) vs. Hornets/Heat (winner), 7:30 PM ET
Suns/Trail Blazers (loser) vs. Clippers/Warriors (winner), 10:00 PM ET
2026 NBA Playoffs Schedule
In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons, who are the first seed, will face the eventual eighth seed (winner of Game 6 in the play-in). The winner of Game 3 in the play-in tournament faces the Celtics on the road (76ers/Magic).
Meanwhile, the Knicks, who were the third seed, will host the Hawks (sixth seed) at home. And the Cavaliers, who were fourth, will host the Raptors in Cleveland. Here’s what the Game 1 playoff schedule would look like for each of these matchups in the East.
Saturday, April 18
Cavaliers vs. Raptors, 1:00 PM ET
Knicks vs. Hawks, 6:00 PM ET
Sunday, April 19
Celtics vs. East’s seventh seed, 1:00 PM ET
Pistons vs. East’s eighth seed, 6:30 PM ET
Similarly, in the Western Conference, the Thunder finished in the first seed and will face the winner of Game 6 of the play-in tournament. The winner of Game 2 in the play-in tournament will face the Spurs, who were second in the Western Conference standings.
The Nuggets are hosting the Timberwolves in the matchup between the third and the sixth seed. Meanwhile, the Lakers will host the Rockets in a matchup between the fourth and the fifth seed. Here’s what the Game 1 schedule looks like for the West.
Saturday, April 18
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, 3:30 PM ET
Lakers vs. Rockets, 8:30 PM ET
Sunday, April 19
Thunder vs. West’s eight seed, 3:30 PM ET
Spurs vs. West’s seventh seed, 9:00 PM ET
The timings for all the remaining rounds are still to be decided. Up to the Conference Semi-Finals and Conference Finals, the schedules for both conferences are currently flexible and yet to be finalized. But the dates for the eventual NBA Finals have been confirmed, which will exclusively be broadcast on ABC.
June 3: Game 1, 8:30 p.m. ET
June 5: Game 2, 8:30 p.m. ET
June 8: Game 3, 8:30 p.m. ET
June 10: Game 4, 8:30 p.m. ET
June 13: Game 5, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)
June 16: Game 6, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)
June 19: Game 7, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)
The year-long battle of resilience and staying healthy is finally coming to fruition for most of these teams, while some are still shorthanded with crucial injuries going into the postseason, like the Lakers and the Warriors.
Who do you think will win each of these respective matchups? Can the Thunder make it back-to-back to start their dynasty, or will we have a new NBA champion this season? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
