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NBA

2024 NBA Playoff bracket: matchups, game dates and times of the Eastern and Western conferences

With the regular season finished and the play-in tournament over, we now know every match-up in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Miami Heat - Boston Celtics en vivo: NBA Playoffs, Juego 1 en directo, hoy 21 de abril
Sam NavarroUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

The NBA regular season is done and dusted, as is the play-in tournament. Congratulations to the Boston Celtics, who finished top of the Eastern Conference, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who clinched top spot in the Western Conference, just squeezing out the Nuggets.

In the play-in tournament, meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans completed the playoff picture in the West at the expense of the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat did likewise in the East, leaving the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks disappointed.

That means we know that in round 1 we’ll see the following matchups:

Eastern Conference

Celtics vs Heat

Knicks vs 76ers

Bucks vs Pacers

Cavaliers vs Magic

Western Conference

Thunder vs Pelicans

Nuggets vs Lakers

Timberwolves vs Suns

Clippers vs Mavericks

NBA play-in tournament results

Before we the playoffs proper, the play-in tournament took place to decide spots seven and eight in each conference.

In each conference, number seven played number eight, with the winner getting the seventh seed spot. The loser played the winner of the game between ninth and tenth to see who got the eighth seed spot.

Tuesday, April 16

No. 7 Pelicans 106-100 No. 8 Lakers

No 9 Kings 118-94 No. 10 Warriors

Wednesday, April 17

No. 7 76ers 105-104 No. 8 Heat

No 9 Bulls 131-116 No. 10 Hawks

Friday April 19

East No. 8 Heat 112-91 vs East No. 9 Bulls

West No. 7 Pelicans 105-98 West No. 9 Kings

NBA Playoffs schedule

With the top eight seeds now settled after the play-in tournament, it’s time for the playoffs proper.

The first round starts on Saturday, April 20 with, as usual, each series being the best of seven games. The team with the best regular-season record has home-court advantage, which means they play games 1, 2, 5 and 7 at home, and games 3, 4 and 6 on the road.

The NBA has now confirmed dates for every first-round playoff game, although some tip-off times have yet to be decided.

Eastern Conference first-round playoff schedule

(1) Celtics vs (8) Heat

Game 1: Heat @ Celtics, 21 April, 1pm ET

Game 2: Heat @ Celtics, 24 April, 7pm ET

Game 3: Celtics @ Heat, 27 April, 6pm ET

Game 4: Celtics @ Heat, 29 April, TBD

Game 5: Heat @ Celtics, 1 May, TBD

Game 6: Celtic @ Heat, 3 May, TBD

Game 7: Heat @ Celtics, 5 May, TBD

(2) 76ers vs (7) Knicks

Game 1: 76ers @ Knicks, 20 April, 6pm ET

Game 2: 76ers @ Knicks, 22 April, 7:30pm ET

Game 3: Knicks @ 76ers, 25 April, 7:30pm ET

Game 4: Knicks @ 76ers, 28 April, 1pm ET

Game 5: 76ers @ Knicks, 30 April, TBD

Game 6: Knicks @ 76ers, 2 May, TBD

Game 7: 76ers @ Knicks, 4 May, TBD

(3) Bucks vs (6) Pacers

Game 1: Pacers @ Bucks, 21 April, 7pm ET

Game 2: Pacers @ Bucks, 23 April, 8:30pm ET

Game 3: Bucks @ Pacers, 26 April, 5:30pm ET

Game 4: Bucks @ Pacers, 28 April, 7pm ET

Game 5: Pacers @ Bucks, 30 April, TBD

Game 6: Bucks @ Pacers, 2 May, TBD

Game 7: Pacers @ Bucks, 4 May, TBD

(4) Cavaliers vs (5) Magic

Game 1: Magic @ Cavaliers, 20 April, 1pm ET

Game 2: Magic @ Cavaliers, 22 April, 7pm ET

Game 3: Cavaliers @ Magic, 25 April, 7pm ET

Game 4: Cavaliers @ Magic, 27 April, 1pm ET

Game 5: Magic @ Cavaliers, 30 April, TBD

Game 6: Cavaliers @ Magic, 3 May, TBD

Game 7: Magic @ Cavaliers, 5 May, TBD

Western Conference first-round playoff schedule

(1) Thunder vs (8) Pelicans

Game 1: Pelicans @ Thunder, 21 April, 9:30pm ET

Game 2: Pelicans @ Thunder, 24 April, 9:30pm ET

Game 3: Thunder @ Pelicans, 27 April, 3:30pm ET

Game 4: Thunder @ Pelicans, 29 April, TBD

Game 5: Pelicans @ Thunder, 1 May, TBD

Game 6: Thunder @ Pelicans, 3 May, TBD

Game 7: Pelicans @ Thunder, 5 May, TBD

(2) Nuggets vs (7) Lakers

Game 1: Lakers @ Nuggets, 20 April, 8:30pm ET

Game 2: Lakers @ Nuggets, 22 April, 10pm ET

Game 3: Nuggets @ Lakers, 25 April, 10pm ET

Game 4: Nuggets @ Lakers, 27 April, 8:30pm ET

Game 5: Lakers @ Nuggets, 29 April, TBD

Game 6: Nuggets @ Lakers, 2 May, TBD

Game 7: Lakers @ Nuggets, 4 May, TBD

(3) Timberwolves vs (5) Suns

Game 1: Suns @ Timberwolves, 20 April, 3:30pm ET

Game 2: Suns @ Timberwolves, 23 April, 7:30pm ET

Game 3: Timberwolves @ Suns, 26 April, 10:30pm ET

Game 4: Timberwolves @ Suns, 28 April, 9:30pm ET

Game 5: Suns @ Timberwolves, 30 April, TBD

Game 6: Timberwolves @ Suns, 2 May, TBD

Game 7: Suns @ Timberwolves, 4 May, TBD

(4) Clippers vs (5) Mavericks

Game 1: Mavericks @ Clippers, 21 April, 3:30pm ET

Game 2: Mavericks @ Clippers, 23 April, 10pm ET

Game 3: Clippers @ Mavericks, 26 April, 8pm ET

Game 4: Clippers @ Mavericks, 28 April, 3:30pm ET

Game 5: Mavericks @ Clippers, 1 May, TBD

Game 6: Clippers @ Mavericks, 3 May, TBD

Game 7: Mavericks @ Clippers, 5 May, TBD

Remember that each team must win four matches in the series to progress to the next round. Once one team has won four games, the series is over and the remaining games will not be played.

NBA playoffs schedule

After the first round the remainder of the postseason will be played as follows:

May 4-7: Start of second round

May 19-22: Start of Conference Finals

June 6: NBA Finals Game 1

June 23: NBA Finals Game 7, where required

The Golden State Warriors, who have been the most successful team in NBA over the last decade or so with four championship victories since 2015, failed to qualify for the playoffs, losing to the Kings in the play-in tournament.

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