{"id":27534,"date":"2026-04-16T05:10:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T05:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=27534"},"modified":"2026-04-16T05:10:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T05:10:29","slug":"2026-nba-playoffs-schedule-scores-news-and-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=27534","title":{"rendered":"2026 NBA playoffs: Schedule, scores, news and highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The 2026 NBA playoffs<\/a> are set to begin Saturday, rolling all the way until the middle of June. It’s sure to be an exciting run toward the NBA Finals, which begin June 3 and will be broadcast by ABC.<\/p>\n

Can the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>, who locked in their third straight 1-seed in the Western Conference, repeat as champions? Which team will emerge from a crowded East field? Could there be upsets throughout the field?<\/p>\n

But the playoff bracket isn’t set just yet. The play-in tournament began Tuesday, with the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds playing to determine which teams get to face the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in each conference. The Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday with a win over the Phoenix Suns<\/a> and will face the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs<\/a>. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> earned the No. 7 seed on Wednesday and will play the No. 2 Boston Celtics<\/a> after defeating the Orlando Magic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still in the play-in fighting for the No. 8 seed, the Orlando Magic<\/a> will face the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> in the East, while the Golden State Warriors<\/a> will battle the Phoenix Suns<\/a> in the West.<\/p>\n

After the play-in tournament concludes Friday, the playoffs begin with four games Saturday. Eight teams from each conference reach the first round and face off in a best-of-seven series to advance. All four rounds of the playoffs are best of seven, and teams are not reseeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have home-court advantage for that series. All series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with the better record hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7.<\/p>\n

Here’s what we know about the Eastern and Western Conference playoff brackets:<\/p>\n

Full NBA playoff bracket<\/h2>\n

Eastern Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Detroit Pistons<\/a> vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. Boston Celtics<\/a> vs. 7. Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>
3. New York Knicks<\/a> vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks<\/a>
4. Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> vs. 5. Toronto Raptors<\/a><\/p>\n

Eastern Conference play-in<\/strong><\/p>\n

7. Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> defeat 8. Orlando Magic<\/a>, 109-97<\/a> (Philadelphia in the playoffs, will play 2. Boston Celtics<\/a>; Orlando to play 9. Charlotte)<\/i>
9. <\/span>Charlotte Hornets<\/a> defeat 10. <\/span>Miami Heat<\/a>, 127-126<\/a> (OT) <\/span>(Charlotte moves on, Miami eliminated)<\/em>
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n

Western Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. San Antonio Spurs<\/a> vs. 7. Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>
3. Denver Nuggets<\/a> vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a>
4. Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> vs. 5. Houston Rockets<\/a><\/p>\n

Western Conference play-in<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> defeat 7. Phoenix Suns<\/a>, 114-110<\/a> (Portland in the playoffs, will play 2. San Antonio Spurs<\/a>; Phoenix to face Golden State)<\/em>
10. Golden State Warriors<\/a> defeat 9. LA Clippers<\/a>, 126-121<\/a> (Golden State moves on, LA eliminated) <\/i>
Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n