NBA playoffs bracket, schedule, how to watch 2025 first round

The 2025 NBA postseason has tipped off.

The play-in tournament got underway Tuesday with the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic clinching playoff berths. Golden State fended off the Memphis Grizzlies at home for the Western Conference's No. 7 seed, while Orlando earned the Eastern Conference's seventh seed with a home win over the Atlanta Hawks.

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The Grizzlies and Hawks will now compete for the eighth and final playoff spots in their respective conferences. Memphis will host the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks, who crushed the ninth-place Sacramento Kings, while Atlanta will welcome in the 10th-place Miami Heat, who blew out the ninth-place Chicago Bulls.

So, with two more playoff berths up for grabs, what does the bracket look like? And when does Round 1 begin? Here's what to know:

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When do the NBA playoffs start?

The playoffs begin Saturday, April 19.

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How many NBA teams make the playoffs?

The playoffs feature 16 teams -- eight from the East and eight from the West. The top six teams in each conference automatically qualify, with the final two spots being awarded via the play-in.

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 Magic 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 Warriors reached the playoffs via the play-in.

What are the NBA play-in matchups, schedule?

Here are the play-in matchups, along with the known schedule details:

April 15

Magic 120, Hawks 95 (Orlando gets East No. 7 playoff seed)
Warriors 121, Grizzlies 116 (Golden State gets West No. 7 playoff seed)

April 16

Heat 109, Bulls 90 (Miami advances to play-in game for East No. 8 playoff seed)
Mavericks 120, Kings 106 (Dallas advances to play-in game for West No. 8 playoff seed)

April 18

Heat at Hawks -- 7 p.m. ET, TNT (winner gets East No. 8 playoff seed)
Mavericks at Grizzlies -- 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN (winner gets West No. 8 playoff seed)

What are the NBA playoff matchups?

And here's an updated look at the playoff bracket:

Eastern Conference

1. Cavaliers
8. Hawks/Heat

4. Pacers
5. Bucks

3. Knicks
6. Pistons

2. Celtics
7. Magic

Western Conference

1. Thunder
8. Grizzlies/Mavericks

4. Nuggets
5. Clippers

3. Lakers
6. Timberwolves

2. Rockets
7. Warriors

What's the schedule for the first round of the NBA playoffs?

Here are the known schedule details for each first-round series (this section will be updated as more information is announced, * = if necessary):

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Cavaliers vs. No. 8 TBD

Game 1: TBD at Cavaliers -- Sunday, April 20, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2: TBD at Cavaliers -- Wednesday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3: Cavaliers at TBD -- Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4: Cavaliers at TBD -- Monday, April 28, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 5*: TBD at Cavaliers -- Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Cavaliers at TBD -- Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: TBD at Cavaliers -- Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD

No. 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 TBD

No. 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 TBD

No. 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 TBD

Western Conference

No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD

Game 1: TBD at Thunder -- Sunday, April 20, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2: TBD at Thunder -- Tuesday, April 22, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3: Thunder at TBD -- Thursday, April 24, time TBD, TNT
Game 4: Thunder at TBD -- Saturday, April 26, 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5*: TBD at Thunder -- Monday, April 28, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 6*: Thunder at TBD -- Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Game 7*: TBD at Thunder -- Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD

No. 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 TBD

No. 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 TBD

No. 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 TBD

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.