NBA play-in and playoffs bracket: Everything you need to know

The 2026 NBA playoffs are set to begin Saturday, April 18, 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.

Can the Oklahoma City Thunder, who locked in their third straight 1-seed in the Western Conference, repeat as champions? Which team will emerge from the crowded East field? Could there be upsets throughout the 16-team field?

The playoff bracket isn't set just yet, however. The play-in tournament begins 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.

After the play-in tournament concludes Friday, April 17, the playoffs begin with four games on 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 (if necessary).

Here's what we know about the Eastern and Western Conference playoff brackets:

Full NBA playoff bracket

Eastern Conference

1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors

Eastern Conference play-in

7. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Orlando Magic
8. Charlotte Hornets vs. 10. Miami Heat
   Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Play-in winner TBD
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Play-in winner TBD
3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets

Western Conference play-in

7. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. Portland Trail Blazers
8. LA Clippers vs. 10. Golden State Warriors
   Loser 7/8 vs. Winner 9/10

Play-in tournament schedule

Eastern Conference

(8) Orlando Magic at (7) Philadelphia 76ers
Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET

(10) Miami Heat at (9) Charlotte Hornets
Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Winner 9/10 at Loser 7/8
Friday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Western Conference

(8) Portland Trail Blazers at (7) Phoenix Suns
Tuesday, April 14 at 10 p.m. ET

(10) Golden State Warriors at (9) LA Clippers
Wednesday, April 15 at 10 p.m. ET

Winner 9/10 at 7/8 Loser
Friday, April 17 at 10 p.m. ET

How the games will work:

Game 1s: Each conference's No. 7 team in the standings will host the No. 8 team, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The losing teams get another chance in their respective conference's Game 3.

Game 2s: Each conference's No. 9 team will host the No. 10 team, with the winner moving on to Game 3. The losers are eliminated and enter the NBA draft lottery.

Game 3s: The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups, with the victors grabbing each conference's No. 8 seed in the postseason. The losers of Game 3 enter the NBA draft lottery.

Eastern Conference first round

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Play-in winner

Game 1: at Detroit on Sunday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Detroit
Game 3: at Play-in winner
Game 4: at Play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): at Detroit
Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): at Detroit

• Pistons' Cunningham returns after 11-game absence
• Goodwill: How Isaiah Stewart became Detroit's enforcer

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-in winner

Game 1: at Boston on Sunday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Boston
Game 3: at Play-in winner
Game 4: at Play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): at Boston
Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): at Boston

• Celtics tie NBA record with 29 3s, clinch No. 2 seed
• Shelburne: How Jaylen Brown turbocharged the Celtics back to title contention
• Bontemps: What NBA insiders are saying about Jayson Tatum's return

(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks

Game 1: at New York on Saturday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Game 2: at New York
Game 3: at Atlanta
Game 4: at Atlanta
Game 5 (if necessary): at New York
Game 6 (if necessary): at Atlanta
Game 7 (if necessary): at New York

• Bridges extends games played streak after 23-second stint
• Goodwill: Five issues facing the Knicks ahead of the playoffs

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors

Game 1: at Cleveland on Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Cleveland
Game 3: at Toronto
Game 4: at Toronto
Game 5 (if necessary): at Cleveland
Game 6 (if necessary): at Toronto
Game 7 (if necessary): at Cleveland

• Spears: Cavaliers guard James Harden is 'here for a reason'

Western Conference first round

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-in winner

Game 1: at Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Oklahoma City
Game 3: at Play-in winner
Game 4: at Play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City
Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): at Oklahoma City

• Kram: The wildest facts of SGA's scoring streak
• Slater: Chet Holmgren is ready to show the NBA why his best is yet to come
• MacMahon: The young Thunder are building a dynasty

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-in winner

Game 1: at San Antonio on Sunday, April 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Game 2: at San Antonio
Game 3: at Play-in winner
Game 4: at Play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): at San Antonio
Game 6 (if necessary): at Play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): at San Antonio

• Wembanyama hits 65 games as he checks another 'box'
• Wright: Inside the Spurs' 365-day turnaround

(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves

Game 1: at Denver on Saturday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Denver
Game 3: at Minnesota
Game 4: at Minnesota
Game 5 (if necessary): at Denver
Game 6 (if necessary): at Minnesota
Game 7 (if necessary): at Denver

• Keown: In search of the real Nikola Jokić

(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets

Game 1: at Los Angeles on Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: at Los Angeles
Game 3: at Houston
Game 4: at Houston
Game 5 (if necessary): at Los Angeles
Game 6 (if necessary): at Houston
Game 7 (if necessary): at Los Angeles

• Redick on short-handed Lakers: 'Everybody wants to play us'
• McMenamin: Inside Marcus Smart's incredible return from The Punch
• Wright: How the Rockets bullied their way to one of the NBA's best offenses

NBA Finals schedule

The 2026 NBA Finals will begin Wednesday, June 3, with each game tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET. ABC will broadcast every matchup.

Game 1: Wednesday, June 3
Game 2: Friday, June 5
Game 3: Monday, June 8
Game 4: Wednesday, June 10
Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, June 13
Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 16
Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 19