Full bracket, confirmed standings, photo, schedule, play on games including dates, times, where to watch on TV and live streaming online 2026
The 16-team NBA postseason was scheduled after the end of the 2026 regular season on April 13, based on the top ten seeds in each conference.
Four teams each from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, ranked between seventh and 10th, head to the playoffs.
Those who competed were vying for the right to meet the teams that finished in first and second place in each conference, heading to the first round of the play-offs and the four teams below them.
Here’s the latest on the NBA playoff schedule, which teams are involved and where you can watch the action live.
NBA playoffs: Full bracket, confirmed standings for 2026
The seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers beat the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic and the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets defeated the 10th-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
That sent the 76ers into the playoffs as the seventh seed, while the Magic beat the Hornets for the right to be the eighth seed and meet the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round.
The winners of that game advance to meet the winners of the tiebreaker between the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors.
Their Conference Finals will face the winners of the semifinals tied between the third-seeded New York Knicks and the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks and the second-seeded Boston Celtics and the seventh-seeded play-ins.
In the Western Conference, the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns lost to the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers and the ninth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers lost to the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors in the playoffs under the same format.
The Trail Blazers advanced to take on the second seed San Antonio Spurs to earn the right to face the Denver Nuggets or Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Suns met the top-seeded Oklahoma Thunder, with the winners advancing to meet the winners of the game between the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets.
The winners of the Conference Finals meet in the NBA Finals. All rounds of the playoffs are best in seven-game series, with home-field advantage going to the higher-seeded teams and the team with the best regular-season record in the finals.
The holding schedule for each series uses a 2–2–1–1–1 format. You can see the latest bracket on the NBA site.
NBA playoffs schedule: Play ins, first round, semifinals, finals
Here’s how the schedule looks like, with the winners of a tie between the seventh and eighth placed teams advancing directly to the play-offs as the seventh seed.
The starting times with the star are the following day.
| The day | The conference | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, April 14 | East | 126-127 Heat Hornets (OT) |
| Tuesday, April 14 | In the west | Trail Blazers 114-110 Suns |
| Wednesday, April 15 | East | Magic 97-109 76ers |
| Wednesday, April 15 | In the west | Warriors 126-121 Clippers |
| Friday, April 17 | East | Magic 121-90 Hornets 90 |
| Friday, April 17 | In the west | Sun 111-96 Warriors |
Here are the first round play-off games. You can find the complete schedule and results here.
| The conference | Play |
| East | (4) Cavaliers vs (5) Raptors |
| In the west | (3) Nuggets vs (6) Timberwolves |
| East | (3) Kits vs (6) Hawks |
| In the west | (4) Players vs (5) Rockets |
| East | (2) The Celtics vs (7) 76ers |
| In the west | (1) Thunder vs (8) The Suns |
| East | (1) Pistons vs (8) Magic |
| In the west | (2) The Spurs vs (7) Trail Blazers |
2026 NBA Finals Schedule
Conference semifinals and final dates will be confirmed after each round. The Final Schedule looks like this, with seven games scheduled if necessary in series one to four.
| The day | The game | ET | PT | BST |
| Wednesday, June 3 | 1 | 20:30 | 17:30 | 01:30* |
| Friday, June 5 | 2 | 20:30 | 17:30 | 01:30* |
| Monday, June 8 | 3 | 20:30 | 17:30 | 01:30* |
| Wednesday, June 10 | 4 | 20:30 | 17:30 | 01:30* |
| Saturday, June 13 | 5 | 20:30 | 17:30 | 01:30* |
| Tuesday, June 16 | 6 | 20:30 | 17:30 | 01:30* |
| Friday, June 19 | 7 | 20:30 | 17:30 | 01:30* |
How to watch NBA playoffs 2026: TV channel, live streaming online
All games are on Prime Video, which has first-round broadcast rights alongside ABC and NBC/Peacock.
Broadcast details for the Conference semi-finals and finals will be confirmed after each round. The finale is on ABC.
You can find the latest streaming breakdown here.
In the US, Prime Video costs $8.99 per month. Students pay $7.49 monthly or $69 annually. A free 30-day trial is available.
ABC is available through ESPN Plus, starting at $29.99 per month.
Peacock costs $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year, or $16.99 per month ($169.99 per year) with downloads and without ads.
In the UK, NBA League Pass shows live games and costs £16.99 per month or £22.99 per month without ads, offline viewing and simultaneous streaming on up to three devices.
