2026 NBA Playoffs: Schedule, Bracket, and Play-In Tournament Details
The road to the 2026 NBA Finals begins with the play-in tournament, setting the stage for the first round of the postseason.
Quick Look
- The 2026 NBA playoffs begin following a play-in tournament to determine the final seeds.
- The postseason culminates in the NBA Finals, which start on June 3.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The NBA postseason structure includes a play-in tournament for seeds 7-10, followed by a traditional 16-team bracket with best-of-seven series.
The 2026 NBA playoffs 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.
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 a crowded East field? Could there be upsets throughout the field?
But the playoff bracket isn't set just yet. 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, 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.
Here's what we know about the Eastern and Western Conference playoff brackets:
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
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
The 2026 NBA Finals will begin Wednesday, June 3, with each game tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET. ABC will broadcast each game.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The play-in tournament will determine the final seeds for the Eastern and Western Conference brackets.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Which specific teams will emerge from the play-in tournament to fill the final playoff spots?
