2024 NBA playoffs: Schedule, times, TV info with dates set for first round, Play-In wraps up Friday (2024)

The NBA postseason has arrived. Two months of postseason basketball got started on Tuesday night with the opening games of the Play-In Tournament, and the playoffs will keep going through the NBA Finals in June. Most playoff seeds were determined on Sunday in a hectic day to close the regular season, but the Play-In Tournament is setting the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both conferences.Here's a look at the complete playoff picture.

In the East, the 76ers came from behind to beat the Heat on Wednesday night to get the No. 7 seed and a first-round meeting with the Knicks. In the nightcap, the Bulls ended the Hawks' season, advancing in the Play-In Tournament to face Miami for the No. 8 seed on Friday.

The Lakers and Kings were victorious in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. The Lakers grabbed the West's No. 7 seed in the process, and the Kings ousted the Warriors. It will be Kings vs. Pelicans on Friday night to determine the West's No. 8 seed.

The six first-round series set in stone right now are Nuggets-Lakers, Timberwolves-Suns, Clippers-Mavericks, Bucks-Pacers, Cavaliers-Magic and Knicks-76ers. The NBA recently unveiled dates for every first-round game, including game times and TV/streaming info for the first four games of every series.

Below is the up-to-date 2024 NBA playoffs schedule.

All NBA playoff games airing on ABC, ESPN and NBA TV will be streaming on fubo (try for free).

Play-In Tournament schedule, scores

(All times Eastern)

Tuesday, April 16
No. 8 Lakers 110, No. 7 Pelicans 106
No. 9 Kings 118, No. 10 Warriors 94

Wednesday, April 17
No. 7 76ers 105, No. 8 Knicks 104
No. 9 Bulls 131, No. 10 Hawks 116

Friday, April 19
Heat vs. Bulls, 7 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Pelicans vs. Kings, 9:30 p.m., TNT

2024 NBA playoffs schedule: First round

(All times Eastern)

Saturday, April 20
Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Magic, 1 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 1:Timberwolvesvs. Suns, 3:30, ESPN/fubo
Game 1: Knicks vs. 76ers, 6 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 1: Nuggets vs. Lakers, 8:30 p.m., ABC/fubo

Sunday, April 21
Game 1: Celtics vs. East No. 8, 1 p.m., ABC/fubo
Game 1:Clippersvs.Mavericks, 3:30 p.m., ABC/fubo
Game 1: Bucks vs. Pacers, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 1: Thunder vs. West No. 8, 9:30 p.m., TNT

Monday, April 22
Game 2: Cavaliers vs. Magic, 7 p.m., NBA TV/fubo
Game 2: Knicks vs. 76ers, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2: Nuggets vs. Lakers, 10 p.m., TNT

Tuesday, April 23
Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Suns, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2: Bucks vs. Pacers, 8:30 p.m., NBA TV/fubo
Game 2: Clippers vs. Mavericks, 10 p.m., TNT

Wednesday, April 24
Game 2: Celtics vs. East No. 8, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 2: Thunder vs. West No. 8, 9:30 p.m., TNT

Thursday, April 25
Game 3: Magic vs. Cavaliers, 7 p.m., NBA TV/fubo
Game 3: 76ers vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3: Lakers vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m., TNT

Friday, April 26
Game 3: Pacers vs. Bucks, 5:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 3: Mavericks vs. Clippers, 8 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 3: Suns vs. Timberwolves, 10:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo

Saturday, April 27
Game 4: Magic vs. Cavaliers, 1 p.m., TNT
Game 3: West No. 8 vs. Thunder, 3:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3: East No. 8 vs. Celtics, 6 p.m., TNT
Game 4: Lakers vs. Nuggets, 8:30 p.m., ABC/fubo

Sunday, April 28
Game 4: Knicks vs. 76ers, 1 p.m., ABC/fubo
Game 4: Mavericks vs. Clippers, 3:30 p.m., ABC/fubo
Game 4: Pacers vs. Bucks, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 4: Suns vs. Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m., TNT

Monday, April 29
Game 4: East No. 8 vs. Celtics, TBD
Game 4: West No. 8 vs. Thunder, TBD
Game 5*: Nuggets vs. Lakers, TBD

Tuesday, April 30
Game 5*: Knicks vs. 76ers, TBD
Game 5*: Bucks vs. Pacers, TBD
Game 5*: Cavaliers vs. Magic, TBD
Game 5*: Timberwolves vs. Suns, TBD

Wednesday, May 1
Game 5*: Celtics vs. East No. 8, TBD
Game 5*: Thunder vs. West No. 8, TBD
Game 5*: Clippers vs. Mavericks, TBD

Thursday, May 2
Game 6*: 76ers vs. Knicks, TBD
Game 6*: Pacers vs. Bucks, TBD
Game 6*: Suns vs. Timberwolves, TBD
Game 6*: Lakers vs. Nuggets, TBD

Friday, May 3
Game 6*: East No. 8 vs. Celtics, TBD
Game 6*: Magic vs. Cavaliers, TTBD
Game 6*: Mavericks vs. Clippers, TBD
Game 6*: West No. 8 vs. Thunder, TBD

Saturday, May 4
Game 7*: Knicks vs. 76ers, TBD
Game 7*: Bucks vs. Pacers, TBD
Game 7*: Timberwolves vs. Suns, TBD
Game 7*: Nuggets vs. Lakers, TBD

Sunday, May 5
Game 7*: Celtics vs. East No. 8, TBD
Game 7*: Cavaliers vs. Magic, TBD
Game 7*: West No. 8 vs. Thunder, TBD
Game 7*: Clippers vs. Mavericks, TBD

2024 NBA playoff dates

  • April 20-21: Start of first round
  • 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 (if necessary)
2024 NBA playoffs: Schedule, times, TV info with dates set for first round, Play-In wraps up Friday (2024)

FAQs

How does NBA play in tournament work in 2024? ›

The 2024 SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament will include teams with the 7th through 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference. What is the Play-In Tournament? The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament will determine the teams that fill the seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference for the 2024 NBA playoffs.

How many games are in the first round of the NBA playoffs? ›

Each series within these rounds adheres to a best-of-seven format, where a team must win four games to advance to the next stage.

What channel are NBA playoffs on? ›

Now, NBA fans can enjoy NBA Playoffs games airing on TNT on the streamer with the B/R sports add-on. You'll need a Max subscription to access B/R sports content like the NBA Playoffs and the NHL Playoffs. Some blackouts do apply. A subscription to Max starts at $9.99 per month.

Who will win the NBA Finals in 2024? ›

The NBA playoffs are in full swing and Boston remains the favorite to win the title. The Celtics finished the regular season with the best record in the league at 64-18. They are also the -370 favorites to win the Eastern Conference as of Wednesday.

What is the format for the NBA playoffs in 2024? ›

Each conference's bracket is fixed with no reseeding. All rounds are a best-of-seven series; a series ends when one team wins four games, and that team advances to the next round. All rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format with regards to hosting.

What is the new NBA playoff format? ›

The tournament format was introduced in the 2020-2021 season, and in July 2022, the format was made a permanent feature of the postseason. The bracket for each conference is as follows: The 7th and 8th place teams play each other, and the winner becomes the 7-seed. The 9th and 10th place teams play each other.

How does first round of NBA playoffs work? ›

Each series is played as the best of seven games, with the team winning four advancing to the next round. Teams are reseeded after each round, so the highest-seeded remaining team always plays against the lowest-seeded team. The NBA playoffs typically begin in April and end in June.

How is the NBA playoff bracket setup? ›

The NBA Playoffs has 16 total teams, with the top 8 teams from each conference participating. Teams in each conference will be seeded from 1 to 8 based on their record. The teams with the best record in their conferences will be the overall number 1 seeds, 2nd best record will be number 2 seeds and so on.

How long does the first round of the NBA playoffs last? ›

The playoffs start on Week 20 and run through the end of the NBA's regular season (4½ weeks). Round 1 takes place during Weeks 20 and 21 (two weeks), and Round 2 takes place during Weeks 22 and 23 (2½ weeks).

How to watch NBA Finals 2024? ›

Watch today's game, the 2024 NBA playoffs, MLB this season and network-aired NFL games next season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It's priced at $77 per month after a three-day free trial.

How to watch the NBA playoffs for free? ›

If you're looking to watch the NBA playoffs for free, you're in luck. Thanks to the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream, fubo, and Hulu + Live TV, you can watch several games without paying.

How to watch NBA live for free? ›

How to watch the NBA for free
  1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Germany.
  4. Connect to Ran.de.
  5. Watch the NBA for free from anywhere in the world.
Apr 29, 2024

Who is favored to win NBA MVP? ›

Nikola Jokić is the current frontrunner for the award and has been for most of the season.

Can the Clippers win a championship in 2024? ›

"We are still big believers that the [championship] window is still open," said Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations. "The hardest thing in team building is to get elite players. We feel we have three of them."

Who is the favorite to win the NBA championship? ›

The Boston Celtics are the current favorites to win the NBA Finals. More specifically, Boston has odds of +115 to win it all on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Celtics made quick work of the Heat in the first round, winning the series 4-1.

How does the new NBA play-in tournament work? ›

Initially implemented during the 2020-21 NBA season, the play-in tournament expanded the NBA's postseason to 20 teams (10 from each conference). The top six teams from each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the 7- through 10-seeds enter the play-in tournament for a chance to extend their seasons.

Is the play-in tournament single elimination? ›

The Play-In Tournament gives the ninth and 10th seeds in both conferences the opportunity to win their way into the playoffs. There would be three games total on both sides of the bracket to determine who the final two playoff teams would be. First, the ninth and 10th seeds face off in a single-elimination game.

Where is the NBA All Star game going to be in 2024? ›

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