The first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs begins this Saturday and expect plenty of drama after a memorable regular season.
The Boston Celtics clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in March and have homecourt advantage through the entire postseason as they look to return to the Finals for the first time since 2022 and hang an NBA championship banner for the first time since 2008. Among the series in the East to watch will be the No. 2 seed New York Knicks, who will clash against reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers.
In the West, the defending champion Denver Nuggets are the 2-seed, behind the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets drew a high-profile matchup for the first round, taking on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the play-in tournament, the 16-team NBA playoffs will begin with four games on Saturday and four more on Sunday. Eight teams from each conference will reach the first round and face off in a best-of-7 series to advance. All four rounds of the NBA playoffs are best-of-7, and teams are not reseeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have homecourt advantage for that series. All series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with the better record hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary).
We’ll have complete coverage of the NBA playoffs all the way through the 2024 NBA Finals, which tip off on June 6 on ABC and the ESPN app.
MORE: Play-in tournament coverage | Previewing all 16 playoff teams | Offseason guides for every team
Game 1: Celtics 114, Heat 94
Game 2: Wednesday at Boston, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Saturday, April 27 at Miami, 6 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Monday, April 29 at Miami
Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 1 at Boston
Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 3 at Miami
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 5 at Boston
Game 1: Knicks 111, 76ers 104
Game 2: Monday at New York, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Thursday at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Sunday, April 28 at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, April 30 at New York
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 2 at Philadelphia
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 4 at New York (TNT)
Game 1: Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94
Game 2: Tuesday at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Game 3: Friday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, April 28 at Indiana, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, April 30 at Milwaukee
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 2 at Indiana
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 4 at Milwaukee (TNT)
Game 1: Cleveland 97, Orlando 83
Game 2: Monday at Cleveland, 7 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Game 3: Thursday at Orlando, 7 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Game 4: Saturday April 27 at Orlando, 1 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, April 30 at Cleveland
Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 3 at Orlando
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 5 at Cleveland
Game 1: OKC 94, New Orleans 92
Game 2: Wednesday at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Saturday, April 27 at New Orleans, 3:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Monday, April 29 at New Orleans
Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 1 at Oklahoma City
Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 3 at New Orleans
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 5 at Oklahoma City
Game 1: Nuggets 114, Lakers 103
Game 2: Monday at Denver, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Thursday at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Saturday, April 27 at Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5 (if necessary): Monday, April 29 at Denver
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 2 at Los Angeles
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 4 at Denver (TNT)
Game 1: Minnesota 120, Phoenix 95
Game 2: Tuesday at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Friday at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, April 28 at Phoenix, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, April 30 at Minnesota
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 2 at Phoenix
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 4 at Minnesota
Game 1: Clippers 109, Mavericks 97
Game 2: Tuesday at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Friday at Dallas, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, April 28 at Dallas, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 1 at Los Angeles
Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 3 at Dallas
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 5 at Los Angeles
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By OLIVER SALT Published: 16:38 GMT, 3 December 2024 | Updated: 19:19 GMT, 3 December 2024