With a condensed regular-season schedule, COVID-related postponements and a first-ever play-in tournament, the NBA playoffs are a welcome sight for fans waiting to see which team will make it through the gauntlet to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The field seems wide open, particularly with injury concerns for the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the presumptive favorite Brooklyn Nets.
As is usually the case, matchups play a more important role than seeding in this year’s playoffs, with some unexpected first-round series due to surprising regular-season performances. For example, who would have thought the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat would land below the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks in the standings? We also couldn’t have predicted that the Nets’ first-round opponent would be the Boston Celtics, who were just two wins away from making the NBA Finals last year in the bubble.
This is setting up to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable NBA playoff runs in recent memory, so keep checking back to see the updated bracket and schedule. Every game on NBATV, ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC can be streamed via fuboTV (Try for free).
Below is all the viewing information you’ll need for each first-round series.
**This post will continue to update through the first round with the results of each game.
Western Conference
Play-in tournament
9/10 Game: Memphis Grizzlies 100, San Antonio Spurs 97
7/8 Game: Los Angeles Lakers 103, Golden State Warriors 100
8-seed Game: Memphis Grizzlies 117, Golden State Warriors 112 (OT)
1. Utah Jazz vs. 8. Memphis Grizzlies
(Grizzlies lead series 1-0)
Game 1: Grizzlies 112, Jazz 109
Game 2: Wednesday, May 26, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Saturday, May 29, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Monday, May 31, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5*: TBD
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
2. Phoenix Suns vs. 7. Los Angeles Lakers
(Suns lead series 1-0)
Game 1: Suns 99, Lakers 90
Game 2: Tuesday, May 25, 10 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3: Thursday, May 27, 10 p.m. (TNT)
Game 4: Sunday, May 30, 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 5*: Tuesday, June 1, TBD
Game 6*: Thursday, June 3, TBD
Game 7*: Saturday, June 5, TBD
3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Portland Trail Blazers
(Series tied 1-1)
Game 1: Blazers 123, Nuggets 109
Game 2: Nuggets 128, Blazers 109
Game 3: Thursday, May 27, 10:30 p.m. ET (NBATV)
Game 4: Saturday, May 29, 4 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5*: Tuesday, June 1, TBD
Game 6*: Thursday, June 3, TBD
Game 7*: Saturday, June 5, TBD
4. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5. Dallas Mavericks
(Mavericks lead series 1-0)
Game 1: Mavericks 113, Clippers 103
Game 2: Tuesday, May 25, 10:30 p.m. ET (NBATV)
Game 3: Friday, May 28, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, May 30, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5*: Wednesday, June 2, TBD
Game 6*: Friday, June 4, TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, June 6, TBD
Eastern Conference
Play-in tournament
9/10 Game: Indiana Pacers 144, Charlotte Hornets 117
7/8 Game: Boston Celtics 118, Washington Wizards 100
8-seed Game: Wizards 142, Pacers 115
1. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8. Washington Wizards
(76ers lead series 1-0)
Game 1: 76ers 125, Wizards 118
Game 2: Wednesday, May 26, 7 p.m. (NBATV)
Game 3: Saturday, May 29, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Monday, May 31, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5*: Wednesday, June 2, TBD
Game 6*: Friday, June 4, TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, June 6, TBD
2. Brooklyn Nets vs. 7. Boston Celtics
(Nets leads series 1-0)
Game 1: Nets 104, Celtics 103
Game 2: Tuesday, May 25, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3: Friday, May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 4: Sunday, May 30, 7 p.m. (TNT)
Game 5*: Tuesday, June 1, TBD
Game 6*: Thursday, June 3, TBD
Game 7*: Saturday, June 5, TBD
3. Milwaukee Bucks vs. 6. Miami Heat
(Bucks lead series 2-0)
Game 1: Bucks 109, Heat 107 (OT)
Game 2: Bucks 132, Heat 98
Game 3: Thursday, May 27, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Saturday, May 29, 1:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5*: Tuesday, June 1, TBD
Game 6*: Thursday, June 3, TBD
Game 7*: Saturday, June 5, TBD
4. New York Knicks vs. 5. Atlanta Hawks
(Hawks lead series 1-0)
Game 1: Hawks 107, Knicks 105
Game 2: Wednesday, May 26, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Friday, May 28, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, May 30, 1 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5*: Wednesday, June 2, TBD
Game 6*: Friday, June 4, TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, June 6, TBD
