The NBA Playoffs are here. With the conclusion of the Play-In Tournament, the 16-team playoff field is set. On the line is the NBA championship, where one will team will raise the Larry O’Brien trophy.
There’s no shortage of storylines entering this postseason. Will the Warriors repeat as NBA champions? How will LeBron James perform in the playoffs? Will the Bucks and Nuggets continue their winning ways? Or will we have a surprise champion?
The Athletic has you covered on everything you need to know ahead of the first round.
GO DEEPERNBA playoff predictions: Anonymous scout, coach, exec pick 2023's 1st-round winnersWhen do the NBA Playoffs start?
This year’s NBA playoffs get underway on April 15. The NBA conference semifinals begin on May 1 and 2, with the conference finals starting on May 16 and 17. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 1.
How to watch
Coverage of the NBA playoffs first round is split between ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBATV.
Full first-round schedule
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Miami Heat
Game 1: April 16 (5:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
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Game 2: April 19 (9:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Game 3: April 22 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 4: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary): April 26
Game 6 (if necessary): April 28
Game 7 (if necessary): April 30
More coverage from The Athletic:
- Joe Vardon: Heat feel like ‘Navy SEALs’ heading into series against Bucks
- Eric Nehm:Behind Mike Budenholzer’s ‘Use-It-or-Lose-It’ timeouts: The philosophy, the process and the teamwork
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Atlanta Hawks
Game 1: April 15 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 2: April 18 (7:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Game 3: April 21 (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 4: April 23 (7:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 5 (if necessary): April 25
Game 6 (if necessary): April 27
Game 7 (if necessary): April 29
More coverage from The Athletic:
- Jared Weiss:Celtics-Hawks series preview: Trae Young game plan, Robert Williams’ role, X-factors
- Jay King:How Joe Mazzulla’s mat discipline in jiu-jitsu aids in coaching the Celtics
- Jeff Schultz:Hawks entering playoff series with confidence, taking pride in underdog role
- Jay King:Film breakdown: Attacking Trae Young successfully could make short series for Celtics
(Photo: Eric Hartline / USA Today)
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
Game 1: April 15 (1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 2: April 17 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 3: April 20 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 4: April 22 (1:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 5 (if necessary): April 24
Game 6 (if necessary): April 27
Game 7 (if necessary): April 29
More coverage fromThe Athletic:
- Rich Hofmann: Sixers-Nets preview: Doubling Joel Embiid, Mikal Bridges vs. P.J. Tucker and more
- Alex Schiffer: Nets-Sixers playoff preview: Nic Claxton vs. Joel Embiid, X-factors, prediction and more
- Alex Schiffer:Mikal Bridges envisioned his rise far before trade to Nets — it just took a little longer
- Rich Hofmann: How Sixers have built an elite isolation offense with Joel Embiid, James Harden
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks
Game 1: April 15 (6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 2: April 18 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 3: April 21 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 4: April 23 (1:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 5 (if necessary): April 26
Game 6 (if necessary): April 28
Game 7 (if necessary): April 30
More coverage fromThe Athletic:
- Kelsey Russo and Fred Katz:Four burning questions ahead of first-round matchup
- Fred Katz:Knicks-Cavs preview: Jalen Brunson vs. Donovan Mitchell, Julius Randle predicament and more
- Kelsey Ruso:Defending Donovan Mitchell: The challenge of guarding the Cavs’ star guard
- Kelsey Russo:Are the young Cavs prepared for their first taste of playoff basketball?
- Fred Katz:Knicks’ drivers vs. Cavaliers’ rim protectors: Who has an advantage?
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves
Game 1: April 16 (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 2: April 19 (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 3: April 21 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 4: April 23 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 5 (if necessary): April 25
Game 6 (if necessary): April 27
Game 7 (if necessary): April 29
More coverage from The Athletic:
- Nick Kosmider:As Nuggets approach highly anticipated playoff run, does momentum matter?
- Jon Krawczynski: The nurturing of Nickeil Alexander-Walker pays dividends for playoff-bound Wolves
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
Game 1: April 16 (3:00 p.m. ET)
Game 2: April 19 (7:30 p.m. ET)
Game 3: April 22 (10:00 p.m. ET)
Game 4: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary): April 26
Game 6 (if necessary): April 28
Game 7 (if necessary): April 30
More coverage fromThe Athletic:
- Jovan Buha:Lakers-Grizzlies preview and prediction: Defending Anthony Davis and Ja Morant, X-factors
- Dan Robson:Dillon Brooks, ‘basketball monk,’ has never been afraid to be the bad guy
- Jovan Buha:The making of Jarred Vanderbilt, the Lakers’ Dennis Rodman in training
- Jovan Buha:Lakers survive Play-In ‘dogfight’ with Timberwolves, and now they’re getting ‘greedy’
(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
Game 1: April 15 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 2: April 17 (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 3: April 20 (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 4: April 23 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 5 (if necessary): April 26
Game 6 (if necessary): April 28
Game 7 (if necessary): April 30
More coverage fromThe Athletic:
- Anthony Slater:Warriors-Kings playoff preview: Containing Steph Curry, De’Aaron Fox in crunchtime and more
- Marcus Thompson II:It’s Warriors-Kings — and everything that comes with it
- Tim Kawakami: What’s at stake for the Warriors in this Kings series and beyond? Everything
- Marcus Thompson II:How Kevon Looney has made himself invaluable to the Warriors dynasty
- Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II: The Warriors’ whisperer: If Golden State is to repeat, he’ll have a hand in it
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 LA Clippers
Game 1: April 16 (8:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 2: April 18 (10:00 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 3: April 20 (10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Game 4: April 22 (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 5 (if necessary): April 25
Game 6 (if necessary): April 27
Game 7 (if necessary): April 29
More coverage fromThe Athletic:
- Law Murray and Doug Haller:Suns-Clippers preview: How can LA limit Kevin Durant? Who defends Kawhi Leonard?
- Law Murray:Scouting the Suns: A look at the Clippers’ first-round playoff matchup
- Doug Haller:The Phoenix Suns are set for the playoffs: Three early storylines to follow
How does the NBA playoff format work?
The top eight teams in each conference are seeded one through eight. The No. 1 seed plays the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed plays the No. 7 seed and so on. The top four seeds have home-court advantage.
The NBA Playoffs are in a bracket format. The winner of the No. 1 seed-No. 8 seed matchup will play the winner of the No. 4 seed-No. 5 seed matchup. The No. 2 seed-No. 7 seed winner will take on the No. 3 seed-No. 6 seed winner.
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There are four rounds in the NBA playoffs. Each series is best-of-seven.
First round playoff matchups to watch
Grizzlies vs. Lakers: James and the Lakers are back in the playoffs after missing it last year. The Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102 in overtime during the Play-In, overcoming a 15-point second-half deficit.
Los Angeles enters the playoffs having won 10 of 12 games. They lead the season series against the Grizzlies 2-1. The Lakers ranked No. 2 in the league in defense post trade deadline. They are going to need their defense to step up to contain Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. The Lakers are trying to become the first team to win a playoff series after advancing through the Play-In.
Kings vs. Warriors: The Kings are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Led by Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray, this team can score. Sacramentoled the NBA in offensive rating this season by a wide margin: 118.6 points per 100 possessions, the highest in history.
The Kings, however, are facing the defending champion Warriors, who will have a full lineup. Andrew Wiggins is returning to the lineup for Game 1, after not playing since Feb. 13. Despite Golden State’s record being 44-38 entering the playoffs, this is a team that has Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who know how to raise their level during the postseason.
Suns vs. Clippers: This series is filled with star power. Kawhi Leonard. Kevin Durant. Chris Paul. Devin Booker. Deandre Ayton.
When the Suns have their big four of Durant, Paul, Booker and Ayton on the floor, they average 122.3 points per 100 possessions and 105.0 points allowed per 100 possessions in 159 minutes. The Clippers, however, rank fourth in offensive efficiency 119.8 points per 100 possessions since Paul George was inactive after suffering a knee injury.
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George is expected to be sidelined for at least the beginning of the first round playoff series against the Suns. Can LA produce on offense in George’s absence? Can the Clippers slow down the Suns’ offensive weapons? This is a rematch of the 2021 Western Conference Finals, which the Suns won in six games.
Tyronn Lue on Paul George:
"We're definitely not going to do anything to hurt PG. Even if he does try to come back, and if he's not right, then we're not going to let him go. Because we're not going to let him injure himself and make it worse than what it really is." https://t.co/tHfx8MBoYg pic.twitter.com/OuxHHde1ib
— Law Murray ❎️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 14, 2023
Cavaliers vs. Knicks: The Knicks are back in the playoffs after missing it last year. The Cavs return to the playoffs for the first time since reaching the NBA Finals in 2017-18.
The spotlight will be on Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen for Cleveland. But keep an eye on Caris LeVert’s role coming off the bench. If he can provide scoring and defend the Knicks, Cleveland is going to be tough to beat.
A big question coming into this series for the Knicks is Julius Randle. His status for Game 1 and beyond remains in question due to a sprained left ankle. Can Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett provide the offensive spark?
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Cavaliers defend the Knicks on the glass. New York ranked third in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (12.6) and second-chance points (4.5). Expect this series to go six or seven games.
Required reading
- The Athletic’s NBA playoff bracket
- Hollinger: Why I’m picking a Celtics-Nuggets NBA Finals, with Boston winning it all
- NBA playoffs 2023 predictions: Anonymous scout, coach, exec pick first-round winners
- NBA playoff updates
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
