First-round bracket, schedule, how to watch games
NBA playoff schedule: How to watch the first round originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It’s finally time for playoff basketball.
A thrilling 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament wrapped up with the Miami Heat beating the Chicago Bulls for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and the Minnesota Timberwolves taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder to claim the final playoff spot in the West.
The Heat and Timberwolves’ reward for making it out of the play-in? A date with the top team in their respective conferences.
With the bracket set, here’s what to know about the first round of the playoffs.
Contents
When do the 2023 NBA playoffs start?
The playoffs begin on Saturday, April 15.
How do the NBA playoffs work?
All playoff series are best of seven with the higher seed holding home-court advantage. The higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while the lower seed gets Games 3, 4 and 6.
There is no reseeding in the NBA playoffs. So the winner of the 1-8 matchup meets the winner of the 4-5 series in the second round, while the winner of the 2-7 matchup meets the winner of the 3-6 series.
What are the 2023 NBA playoff matchups?
East
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Miami Heat
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Atlanta Hawks
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks
West
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
What is the schedule for the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs?
Here are the updated schedules for each first-round series (all times Western, * = if necessary):
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Miami Heat
Game 1: Heat at Bucks, April 16, 2:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2: Heat at Bucks, April 19, 6 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3: Bucks at Heat, April 22, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 4: Bucks at Heat, 4/24, TBD, TBD
*Game 5: Heat at Bucks, 4/26, TBD, TBD
*Game 6: Bucks at Heat, 4/28, TBD,…
