NBA Playoffs Bracket Set After Final Regular Season Games

NBA Playoffs Bracket Set After Final Regular Season Games...

The 2026 NBA playoff bracket is officially set following Sunday's conclusion of the regular season. All 16 postseason teams now know their first-round opponents as the chase for the Larry O'Brien Trophy begins this weekend.

This year's bracket features several intriguing matchups, including a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. The defending champion Denver Nuggets will face the upstart New Orleans Pelicans in the West.

The playoffs begin Saturday, April 18 with four Game 1 matchups. ABC will broadcast the opening doubleheader featuring Celtics-Heat at 1 p.m. ET followed by Nuggets-Pelicans at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Fans are particularly excited about the Western Conference bracket, where the Oklahoma City Thunder earned the top seed for the first time since 2013. They'll face the play-in tournament winner between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings.

In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks secured the No. 2 seed behind MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo. They'll take on the Chicago Bulls, who clinched their spot through the play-in tournament.

The complete first-round schedule will be announced Monday morning. All series follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 if necessary.

This year's playoffs mark the first under the NBA's new media rights deal, with games split between ESPN, ABC, TNT and Amazon Prime Video. The Finals will air exclusively on ABC beginning June 4.

Basketball fans across social media are already debating potential upsets and championship contenders. The bracket release comes at peak interest as casual fans tune in for postseason basketball after ignoring much of the 82-game regular season.