The 2025 NBA playoffs are ready to tip off.
The last two playoff berths were awarded on Friday night as the play-in tournament wrapped up.
The 10th-place Miami Heat first made play-in history with a wild overtime win against the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks. Tyler Herro and Co. clinched the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot with the road victory, becoming the first 10th-place team to advance to the playoffs since the play-in was introduced in 2021. The Heat previously crushed the Bulls in Chicago in the 9-10 game.
But the Western Conference’s 10th-place team, the Dallas Mavericks, failed to match Miami’s feat. The eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies cruised past Dallas to grab the No. 8 playoff seed out West.
With the 16-team bracket locked in, here’s a look at the first-round matchups, schedule, and more to know:
When do the NBA playoffs start?
The playoffs begin Saturday, April 19.
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How do the NBA playoffs work?
First-round matchups in each conference are No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5. All postseason series are best of seven where the higher seed has home-court advantage in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7.
Do the NBA playoffs reseed teams?
The playoffs follow a bracket format and don’t reseed teams after the first round. That means, for instance, the winner of a 1-8 matchup will meet the winner of a 4-5 matchup in Round 2, regardless of the other first-round results.
What teams are in the NBA playoffs?
The six automatic playoff berths in the East were claimed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. The Orlando Magic and the Heat then joined the field via the play-in.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves secured top-six spots before the Golden State Warriors and the Grizzlies advanced through the play-in.
What are the NBA playoff matchups?
Here’s a look at the bracket:
Eastern Conference
1. Cavaliers8. Heat
4. Pacers5. Bucks
3. Knicks6. Pistons
2. Celtics7. Magic
Western Conference
1. Thunder8. Grizzlies
4. Nuggets5. Clippers
3. Lakers6. Timberwolves
2. Rockets7. Warriors
What’s the schedule for the first round of the NBA playoffs?
Here are the schedule details for each first-round series ( * = if necessary):
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Heat
Game 1: Heat at Cavaliers — Sunday, April 20, 7 p.m. ET, TNT Game 2: Heat at Cavaliers — Wednesday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV Game 3: Cavaliers at Heat — Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m. ET, TNT Game 4: Cavaliers at Heat — Monday, April 28, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 5*: Heat at Cavaliers — Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Cavaliers at Heat — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Heat at Cavaliers — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBDNo. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Magic
Game 1: Magic at Celtics — Sunday, April 20, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Game 2: Magic at Celtics — Wednesday, April 23, 7 p.m. ET, TNT Game 3: Celtics at Magic — Friday, April 25, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 4: Celtics at Magic — Sunday, April 27, 7 p.m. ET, TNT Game 5*: Magic at Celtics — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Celtics at Magic — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Magic at Celtics — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBDNo. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Pistons
Game 1: Pistons at Knicks — Saturday, April 19, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 2: Pistons at Knicks — Monday, April 21, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT Game 3: Knicks at Pistons — Thursday, April 24, time TBD, TNT Game 4: Knicks at Pistons — Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m. ET, ABC Game 5*: Pistons at Knicks — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Knicks at Pistons — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Pistons at Knicks — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBDNo. 4 Pacers vs. No. 5 Bucks
Game 1: Bucks at Pacers — Saturday, April 19, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 2: Bucks at Pacers — Tuesday, April 22, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV Game 3: Pacers at Bucks — Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV/ESPNU Game 4: Pacers at Bucks — Sunday, April 27, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT Game 5*: Bucks at Pacers — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Pacers at Bucks — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Bucks at Pacers — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBDWestern Conference
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 Grizzlies
Game 1: Grizzlies at Thunder — Sunday, April 20, 1 p.m. ET, ABC Game 2: Grizzlies at Thunder — Tuesday, April 22, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT Game 3: Thunder at Grizzlies — Thursday, April 24, time TBD, TNT Game 4: Thunder at Grizzlies — Saturday, April 26, 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Game 5*: Grizzlies at Thunder — Monday, April 28, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Thunder at Grizzlies — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Grizzlies at Thunder — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBDNo. 2 Rockets vs. No. 7 Warriors
Game 1: Warriors at Rockets — Sunday, April 20, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT Game 2: Warriors at Rockets — Wednesday, April 23, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT Game 3: Rockets at Warriors — Saturday, April 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC Game 4: Rockets at Warriors — Monday, April 28, 10 p.m. ET, TNT Game 5*: Warriors at Rockets — Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Rockets at Warriors — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Warriors at Rockets — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBDNo. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Timberwolves
Game 1: Timberwolves at Lakers — Saturday, April 19, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC Game 2: Timberwolves at Lakers — Tuesday, April 22, 10 p.m. ET, TNT Game 3: Lakers at Timberwolves — Friday, April 25, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 4: Lakers at Timberwolves — Sunday, April 27, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Game 5*: Timberwolves at Lakers — Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Lakers at Timberwolves — Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Timberwolves at Lakers — Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBDNo. 4 Nuggets vs. No. 5 Clippers
Game 1: Clippers at Nuggets — Saturday, April 19, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 2: Clippers at Nuggets — Monday, April 21, 10 p.m. ET, TNT Game 3: Nuggets at Clippers — Thursday, April 24, time TBD, NBA TV Game 4: Nuggets at Clippers — Saturday, April 26, 6 p.m. ET, TNT Game 5*: Clippers at Nuggets — Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 6*: Nuggets at Clippers — Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD Game 7*: Clippers at Nuggets — Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBDWhere to watch and stream games in the 2025 NBA playoffs
First-round games will air nationally across ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV.
ESPN and ABC broadcasts can be streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
TNT broadcasts can be streamed on TNTDrama.com, the TNT app and Max.
NBA TV broadcasts are available to stream on NBA.com and the NBA app.
What are the 2025 NBA playoff dates?
The second round is slated to get underway May 5-6, though those start dates could be moved up to May 3-4. The conference finals will start as early as May 18-19 and as late as May 20-21.
When are the 2025 NBA Finals?
The Finals are scheduled to start Thursday, June 5, with a potential Game 7 slated for Sunday, June 22.
Editor’s note: The original version of this story was published on April 11.
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